The Man Bitten By Fleas

Anne Kingsmill Finch 1661 – 1720 (Westminster)



A Peevish Fellow laid his Head
 On Pillows, stuff'd with Down;
But was no sooner warm in Bed,
 With hopes to rest his Crown,

But Animals of slender size,
 That feast on humane Gore,
From secret Ambushes arise,
 Nor suffer him to snore;

Who starts, and scrubs, and frets, and swears,
 'Till, finding all in vain,
He for Relief employs his Pray'rs
 In this old Heathen strain.

Great Jupiter! thy Thunder send
 From out the pitchy Clouds,
And give these Foes a dreadful End,
 That lurk in Midnight Shrouds:

Or Hercules might with a Blow,
 If once together brought,
This Crew of Monsters overthrow,
 By which such Harms are wrought.

The Strife, ye Gods! is worthy You,
 Since it our Blood has cost;
And scorching Fevers must ensue,
 When cooling Sleep is lost.

Strange Revolutions wou'd abound,
 Did Men ne'er close their Eyes;
Whilst those, who wrought them wou'd be found
 At length more Mad, than Wise.

Passive Obedience must be us'd,
 If this cannot be Cur'd;
But whilst one Flea is slowly bruis'd,
 Thousands must be endur'd.

Confusion, Slav'ry, Death and Wreck
 Will on the Nation seize,
If, whilst you keep your Thunders back,
 We're massacr'd by Fleas.

Why, prithee, shatter-headed Fop,
 The laughing Gods reply;
Hast thou forgot thy Broom, and Mop,
 And Wormwood growing nigh?

Go sweep, and wash, and strew thy Floor,
 As all good Housewives teach;
And do not thus for Thunders roar,
 To make some fatal Breach:

Which You, nor your succeeding Heir,
 Nor yet a long Descent
Shall find out Methods to repair,
 Tho' Prudence may prevent.

For Club, and Bolts, a Nation call'd of late,
Nor wou'd be eas'd by Engines of less Weight:
But whether lighter had not done as well,
Let their Great-Grandsons, or their Grandsons tell.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:34 min read
90

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD XECE FGFG HIHI JXJX KCKC LMLM XNXN XOXO DPDP QRQR SSTT
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,733
Words 299
Stanzas 13
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 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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