The House of Socrates

Anne Kingsmill Finch 1661 – 1720 (Westminster)



FOR Socrates a House was built,
 Of but inferiour Size;
Not highly Arch'd, nor Carv'd, nor Gilt;
 The Man, 'tis said, was Wise.

But Mob despis'd the little Cell,
 That struck them with no Fear;
Whilst Others thought, there should not dwell
 So great a Person there.

How shou'd a due Recourse be made
 To One, so much Admir'd?
Where shou'd the spacious Cloth be laid,
 Or where the Guests retir'd?

Believe me, quoth the list'ning Sage,
 'Twas not to save the Charge;
That in this over-building Age,
 My House was not more large.

But this for faithful Friends, and kind,
 Was only meant by me;
Who fear that what too streight you find,
 Must yet contracted be.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
40

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CXCX DXDX EFEF GHGH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 666
Words 120
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Anne Kingsmill Finch

Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (née Kingsmill), was an English poet and courtier. Finch's works often express a desire for respect as a female poet, lamenting her difficult position as a woman in the literary establishment and the court, while writing of "political ideology, religious orientation, and aesthetic sensibility". Her works also allude to other female authors of the time, such as Aphra Behn and Katherine Phillips. Through her commentary on the mental and spiritual equality of the genders and the importance of women fulfilling their potential as a moral duty to themselves and to society, she is regarded as one of the integral female poets of the Restoration Era. Finch died in Westminster in 1720 and was buried at her home at Eastwell, Kent.  more…

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