On Shakespear

John Milton 1608 (Cheapside) – 1674 (Chalfont St Giles)



What needs my Shakespear for his honour'd Bones,
The labour of an age in piled Stones,
Or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid
Under a Star-ypointing Pyramid?
Dear son of memory, great heir of Fame,
What need'st thou such weak witnes of thy name?
Thou in our wonder and astonishment
Hast built thy self a live-long Monument.
For whilst toth' shame of slow-endeavouring art,
Thy easie numbers flow, and that each heart
Hath from the leaves of thy unvalu'd Book,
Those Delphick lines with deep impression took
Then thou our fancy of it self bereaving,
Dost make us Marble with too much conceaving;
And so Sepulcher'd in such pomp dost lie,
That Kings for such a Tomb would wish to die.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 01, 2023

38 sec read
45

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFFFGG
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 680
Words 124
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

John Milton

John Milton was the Secretary of State of Georgia from 1777 to 1799. more…

All John Milton poems | John Milton Books

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