Lucasta

Name: Lucasta
Author: Lovelace, Richard

Lovelace, Richard

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

But all these flour'shing hiews, with which I die
Thy virgin paper, now are vain as I:
For 'bove the poets Heav'n th' art taught to shine
And move, as in thy proper crystalline;
Whence that mole-hill Parnassus thou dost view,
And us small ants there dabbling in its dew;
Whence thy seraphic soul such hymns doth play,
As those to which first danced the first day,
Where with a thorn from the world-ransoming wreath
Thou stung, dost antiphons and anthems breathe;
Where with an Angels quil dip'd i' th' Lambs blood,
Thou sing'st our Pelicans all-saving flood,
And bath'st thy thoughts in ever-living streams,
Rench'd<91.8> from earth's tainted, fat and heavy steams.
There move translated youth inroll'd i' th' quire,
That only doth with wholy lays inspire;
To whom his burning coach Eliah sent,
And th' royal prophet-priest his harp hath lent;
Which thou dost tune in consort unto those
Clap wings for ever at each hallow'd close:
Whilst we, now weak and fainting in our praise,
Sick echo ore thy Halleluiahs.

<91.1> Revett has some verses to the memory of Lovelace,
which will be found among the Elegies at the end of the volume.
The present lines were apparently written for a projected edition
of Revett's poems, which, for some unknown reason, was never
published.  Revett has also verses prefixed to THE ROYAL GAME
OF CHESSE PLAY, 1656; to AYRES AND DIALOGUES, by John Gamble,
1656; and to Hall's translation of the COMMENT OF HIEROCLES UPON
THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS, 1657.

<91.2> Original has COURSE.

<91.3> This is only one instance among many which might be cited
from LUCASTA of the employment of an intransitive verb in a
transitive signification.

<91.4> i.e. THAT BORE HIM.

<91.5> i.e. THAT BUD'ST.

<91.6> Orig. has THOU.

<91.7> This word, now employed only in a special sense, was
formerly a very common and favourite metaphor.  Thus Lord
Westmoreland, in his OTIA SACRA, 1648, p. 19, says:--

    "When all the vertue we can here put on
     Is but refined imperfection,
     Corruption calcined--"

          See also p. 137 of the same volume.

<91.8> Rinsed.



  ON THE BEST, LAST, AND ONLY REMAINING COMEDY
               OF MR. FLETCHER.

           THE WILD GOOSE CHASE.<92.1>

  I'm un-ore-clowded, too! free from the mist!
The blind and late Heaven's-eyes great Occulist,
Obscured with the false fires of his sceme,
Not half those souls are lightned by this theme.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

LucastaLovelace, Richard

General

Lucasta

Lovelace, Richard

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

But all these flour'shing hiews, with which I die
Thy virgin paper, now are vain as I:
For 'bove the poets Heav'n th' art taught to shine
And move, as in thy proper crystalline;
Whence that mole-hill Parnassus thou dost view,
And us small ants there dabbling in its dew;
Whence thy seraphic soul such hymns doth play,
As those to which first danced the first day,
Where with a thorn from the world-ransoming wreath
Thou stung, dost antiphons and anthems breathe;
Where with an Angels quil dip'd i' th' Lambs blood,
Thou sing'st our Pelicans all-saving flood,
And bath'st thy thoughts in ever-living streams,
Rench'd<91.8> from earth's tainted, fat and heavy steams.
There move translated youth inroll'd i' th' quire,
That only doth with wholy lays inspire;
To whom his burning coach Eliah sent,
And th' royal prophet-priest his harp hath lent;
Which thou dost tune in consort unto those
Clap wings for ever at each hallow'd close:
Whilst we, now weak and fainting in our praise,
Sick echo ore thy Halleluiahs.

<91.1> Revett has some verses to the memory of Lovelace,
which will be found among the Elegies at the end of the volume.
The present lines were apparently written for a projected edition
of Revett's poems, which, for some unknown reason, was never
published.  Revett has also verses prefixed to THE ROYAL GAME
OF CHESSE PLAY, 1656; to AYRES AND DIALOGUES, by John Gamble,
1656; and to Hall's translation of the COMMENT OF HIEROCLES UPON
THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS, 1657.

<91.2> Original has COURSE.

<91.3> This is only one instance among many which might be cited
from LUCASTA of the employment of an intransitive verb in a
transitive signification.

<91.4> i.e. THAT BORE HIM.

<91.5> i.e. THAT BUD'ST.

<91.6> Orig. has THOU.

<91.7> This word, now employed only in a special sense, was
formerly a very common and favourite metaphor.  Thus Lord
Westmoreland, in his OTIA SACRA, 1648, p. 19, says:--

    "When all the vertue we can here put on
     Is but refined imperfection,
     Corruption calcined--"

          See also p. 137 of the same volume.

<91.8> Rinsed.



  ON THE BEST, LAST, AND ONLY REMAINING COMEDY
               OF MR. FLETCHER.

           THE WILD GOOSE CHASE.<92.1>

  I'm un-ore-clowded, too! free from the mist!
The blind and late Heaven's-eyes great Occulist,
Obscured with the false fires of his sceme,
Not half those souls are lightned by this theme.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Lucasta

Lucasta

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