The Philosopher, the Young Man, and his Statue
Anne Kingsmill Finch 1661 – 1720 (Westminster)
A Fond Athenian Mother brought
A Sculptor to indulge her Thought,
And carve her Only Son;
Who to such strange perfection wrought,
That every Eye the Statue caught
Nor ought was left undone.
A youthful Smile adorn'd the Face,
The polish gave that Smile a Grace;
And through the Marble reigns
(Which well the Artist's Skill cou'd trace,
And in their due Positions place)
A Thread of purple Veins.
The Parasites about it came,
(Whose Praises were too large to name)
And to each other said;
The Man so well had reach'd his Aim,
Th' Original cou'd o'er it claim
Only a native Red.
Mean while a Sage, amidst the Croud,
Thus, with a Precept wise and loud,
Check'd the Vain-glorious Boy;
By telling him, who now grew proud,
That tho' with Beauty 'twas endow'd,
The Figure was a Toy:
Of no Advantage to the State,
'Twou'd neither combate, nor debate,
But idly stand alone;
Bids him beware, whilst Men create
In Stone thus his Resemblance great,
He proves not like the Stone.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 64 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABAXB CCDCCD EEFEEF AGHGGH IIJIIJ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 983 |
Words | 175 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"The Philosopher, the Young Man, and his Statue" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3305/the-philosopher,-the-young-man,-and-his-statue>.
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