Of Thy Life, Thomas, This Compass Well Mark
Henry Howard 1517 – 1547
Of thy life, Thomas, this compass well mark:
Not aye with full sails the high seas to beat,
Ne by coward dread, in shunning storms dark,
On shallow shores thy keel in peril freat
. [to fret]
Whoso gladly halseth
the golden mean [to embrace]
Void of dangers advisedly hath his home,
Not with loathsome muck, as a den unclean,
Nor palace-like whereat disdain may glome
. [frown]
The lofty pine the great wind often rives;
With violenter sway fallen turrets steep;
Lightnings assault the high mountains and clives
. [splits]
A heart well stayed, in overthwarts deep
Hopeth amends; in sweet doth fear the sour.
God that sendeth, withdraweth winter sharp.
Now ill, not aye thus. Once Phoebus to lour
With bow unbent shall cease, and frame to harp
His voice. In straight estate appear thou stout;
And so wisely, when lucky gale of wind
All thy puffed sails shall fill, look well about,
Take in a reef. Haste is waste, proof doth find.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 132 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDEFGFHIJEKJLMNMOPOP |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 913 |
Words | 164 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
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"Of Thy Life, Thomas, This Compass Well Mark" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/17404/of-thy-life,-thomas,-this-compass-well-mark>.
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