“SO WROUGHT DIVINE ULYSSES”
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Homer and Chapman, George
So wrought divine Ulysses through his woes, So crown’d the light with him his mother’s throes, As through his great Renowner I have wrought, And my safe sail to sacred anchor brought. Nor did the Argive ship more burthen feel, That bore the care of all men in her keel, Than my adventurous bark; the Colchian fleece Not half so precious as this Soul of Greece, In whose Songs I have made our shores rejoice, And Greek itself vail to our English voice. Yet this inestimable Pearl will all Our dunghill chanticleers but obvious call; Each modern scraper this Gem scratching by, His oat preferring far. Let such let lie. So scorn the stars the clouds, as true-soul’d men Despise deceivers. For, as clouds would fain Obscure the stars, yet (regions left below With all their envies) bar them but of show, For they shine ever, and will shine, when they Dissolve in sinks, make mire, and temper clay; So puff’d impostors (our muse-vapours) strive, With their self-blown additions, to deprive Men solid of their full, though infinite short They come in their compare, and false report Of levelling or touching at their light, That still retain their radiance, and clear right, And shall shine ever, when, alas! one blast Of least disgrace tears down th’ impostor’s mast, His tops and tacklings, his whole freight, and he Confiscate to the fishy monarchy, His trash, by foolish Fame brought now, from hence Given to serve mackarel forth, and frankincense.
Such then, and any too soft-eyed to see, Through works so solid, any worth, so free Of all the learn’d professions, as is fit To praise at such price, let him think his wit Too weak to rate it, rather than oppose With his poor pow’rs Ages and Hosts of Foes.