Sonnet To Henry Cowper, Esq.

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Cowper, whose silver voice, tasked sometimes hard,
Legends prolix delivers in the ears
(Attentive when thou read'st) of England's peers,
Let verse at length yield thee thy just reward.

Thou wast not heard with drowsy disregard,
Expending late on all that length of plea
Thy generous powers, but silence honoured thee,
Mute as e'er gazed on orator or bard.

Thou art not voice alone, but hast beside
Both heart and head; and couldst with music sweet
Of attic phrase and senatorial tone,
Like thy renowned forefathers, far and wide
Thy fame diffuse, praised not for utterance meet
Of others' speech, but magic of thy own.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
100

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBX ACCA DEFDEF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 614
Words 107
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 6

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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    "Sonnet To Henry Cowper, Esq." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40103/sonnet-to-henry-cowper,-esq.>.

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