Tanagra! think not I forget
Thy beautifully-storey’d streets;
Be sure my memory bathes yet
In clear Thermodon, and yet greets
The blythe and liberal shepherd boy,
Whose sunny bosom swells with joy
When we accept his matted rushes
Upheaved with sylvan fruit; away he bounds, and blushes.
I promise to bring back with me
What thou with transport wilt receive,
The only proper gift for thee,
Of which no mortal shall bereave
In later times thy mouldering walls,
Until the last old turret falls;
A crown, a crown from Athens won!
A crown no god can wear, beside Latona’s son.
There may be cities who refuse
To their own child the honours due,
And look ungently on the Muse;
But ever shall those cities rue
The dry, unyielding, niggard breast,
Offering no nourishment, no rest,
To that young head which soon shall rise
Disdainfully, in might and glory, to the skies.
Sweetly where cavern’d Dirce flows
Do white-arm’d maidens chaunt my lay,
Flapping the while with laurel-rose
The honey-gathering tribes away;
And sweetly, sweetly, Attick tongues
Lisp your Corinna’s early songs;
To her with feet more graceful come
The verses that have dwelt in kindred breasts at home.
O let thy children lean aslant
Against the tender mother’s knee,
And gaze into her face, and want
To know what magic there can be
In words that urge some eyes to dance,
While others as in holy trance
Look up to heaven; be such my praise!
Why linger? I must haste, or lose the Delphick bays.
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O let thy children lean aslant
Against the tender mother’s knee,
And gaze into her face, and want
To know what magic there can be
These last few lines really caught my attention. The old fanshioned languag sort of made it hard to read for me at first but after a couple of reads I really enjoyed the flow and rhythm -
Hmmm, can't say that this is a favourite piece of mine, I hjave read this poem before but I didn't quite get what was going on, I think I am going to have to read this again, things keep coming to me of what it's about then I read it again and other things come to me, so I will say what a lovely piece, well written.......
sanity
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Very nice! One always like to know that someone will fight to get a crown for them! There were no specific lines that especially caught my attention, but the entire piece fits together perfectly!
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