Horace, Book IV, Ode IX, Addressed to Humphry French, Esq. Late Lord Mayor of Dublin
PATRON of the tuneful throng,O! too nice, and too severe!Think not, that my country songShall displease thy honest ear.Chosen strains I proudly bring,Which the Muses' sacred choir,When they gods and heroes sing,Dictate to th' harmonious lyre.Ancient Homer, princely bard!Just precedence still maintains,With sacred rapture still are heardTheban Pindar's lofty strains.Still the old triumphant song,Which, when hated tyrants fell,Great Alcæus boldly sung,Warns, instructs, and pleases well.Nor has Time's all-darkening shadeIn obscure oblivion press'dWhat Anacreon laugh'd and play'd;Gay Anacreon, drunken priest!Gentle Sappho, love-sick muse,Warms the heart with amorous fire;Still her tenderest notes infuseMelting rapture, soft desire.Beauteous Helen, young and gay,By a painted fopling won,Went not first, fair nymph, astray,Fondly pleased to be undone.Nor young Teucer's slaughtering bow,Nor bold Hector's dreadful sword,Alone the terrors of the foe,Sow'd the field with hostile blood.Many valiant chiefs of oldGreatly lived and died beforeAgamemnon, Grecian bold,Waged the ten years' famous war.But their names, unsung, unwept,Unrecorded, lost and gone,Long in endless night have slept,And shall now no more be known.Virtue, which the poet's careHas not well consign'd to fame,Lies, as in the sepulchreSome old king, without a name.But, O Humphry, great and free,While my tuneful songs are read,Old forgetful Time on theeDark oblivion ne'er shall spread.When the deep cut notes shall fadeOn the mouldering Parian stone,On the brass no more be readThe perishing inscription;Forgotten all the enemies,Envious G----n's cursed spite,And P----l's derogating lies,Lost and sunk in Stygian night;Still thy labour and thy care,What for Dublin thou hast done,In full lustre shall appear,And outshine th' unclouded sun.Large thy mind, and not untried,For Hibernia now doth stand,Through the calm, or raging tide,Safe conducts the ship to land.Falsely we call the rich man great,He is only so that knowsHis plentiful or small estateWisely to enjoy and use.He in wealth or poverty,Fortune's power alike defies;And falsehood and dishonestyMore than death abhors and flies:Flies from death!--no, meets it brave,When the suffering so severeMay from dreadful bondage saveClients, friends, or country dear.This the sovereign man, complete;Hero; patriot; glorious; free;Rich and wise; and good and great;Generous Humphry, thou art he.
Words in this poem 26
- tuneful a.
- Harmonious; melodious; musical; as, tuneful notes.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- displease v. i.
- To give displeasure or offense.
- theban a.
- Of or pertaining to Thebes. Theban year (Anc. Chron.), the Egyptian year of 365 days and 6 hours. J. Bryant. [L. Thebanus.]
- boldly adv.
- In a bold manner. [AS. bealdlice.]
- oblivion n.
- The act of forgetting, or the state of being forgotten; cessation of remembrance; forgetfulness. [L. oblivio, akin to oblivisci to forget: cf. OF. oblivion.]
- sappho n.
- Any one of several species of brilliant South American humming birds of the genus Sappho, having very bright-colored and deeply forked tails; -- called also firetail. [See Sapphic.]
- beauteous a.
- Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] -- Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. --
- fopling n.
- A petty fop. Landor.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- fondly adv.
- Foolishly. Verstegan (1673).
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- valiant a.
- Vigorous in body; strong; powerful; as, a valiant fencer. [OE. valiant, F. vaillant, OF. vaillant, valant, originally p. pr. of OF. & F. valoir to be worth, L. valere to be strong. See Wield, and cf. Avail, Convalesce, ]
- sepulchre n.
- The place in which the dead body of a human being is interred, or a place set apart for that purpose; a grave; a tomb. [OE. sepulcre, OF. sepulcre, F. sépulcre, fr. L. sepulcrum, sepulchrum, fr. sepelire to bury.]
- forgetful a.
- Apt to forget; easily losing remembrance; as, a forgetful man should use helps to strengthen his memory.
- envious a.
- Malignant; mischievous; spiteful. [OF. envios, F. envieux, fr. L. invidiosus, fr. invidia envy. See Envy, and cf. Invidious.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- stygian a.
- Of or pertaining to the river Styx; hence, hellish; infernal.
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- lustre n.
- A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
- outshine v. i.
- To shine forth.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- dishonesty n.
- Dishonor; dishonorableness; shame. [Cf. OF. deshonesté, F. déshonnêteté.]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- generous a.
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Horace, Book IV, Ode IX, Addressed to Humphry French, Esq. Late Lord Mayor of Dublin is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #13621; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jonathan Swift, Horace, Book IV, Ode IX, Addressed to Humphry French, Esq. Late Lord Mayor of Dublin, in Cadenus and Vanessa, and Other Poems (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/addressed-to-humphry-french-esq-late-lord-mayor-of-dublin.html, id L09347.
Form and metre
Horace, Book IV, Ode IX, Addressed to Humphry French, Esq. Late Lord Mayor of Dublin is 80 lines in a single stanza. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%). 90% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.3 syllables. 7 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 21% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in trochaic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABC-C--D-D-E-EF-F-GHGHIJIJ----KLKLM-M--N-NOPOP-QPQRSRSTUTUVWVWX-X--Y-YZaZa-b-b throngA · severeB · songA · earB · bringC · choir · singC · lyre · bard · maintainsD · heard · strainsD · song · fellE · sung · wellE · shadeF · press'd · play'dF · priest · museG · fireH · infuseG · desireH · gayI · wonJ · astrayI · undoneJ · bow · sword · foe · blood · oldK · beforeL · boldK · warL · unweptM · gone · sleptM · known · care · fameN · sepulchre · nameN · freeO · readP · theeO · spreadP · fade · stoneQ · readP · inscriptionQ · enemiesR · spiteS · liesR · nightS · careT · doneU · appearT · sunU · untriedV · standW · tideV · landW · greatX · knows · estateX · use · poverty · defiesY · dishonesty · fliesY · braveZ · severea · saveZ · deara · complete · freeb · great · heb
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against trochaic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| PATRON of the tuneful throng, | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| O! too nice, and too severe! | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Think not, that my country song | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Shall displease thy honest ear. | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| Chosen strains I proudly bring, | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Which the Muses' sacred choir, | 8 | ··/˘/˘/˘ |
| When they gods and heroes sing, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Dictate to th' harmonious lyre. | 8 | /··˘/˘˘· |
| Ancient Homer, princely bard! | 7 | /˘/˘/˘· |
| Just precedence still maintains, | 7 | ·/˘˘·˘/ |
| With sacred rapture still are heard | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Theban Pindar's lofty strains. | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Still the old triumphant song, | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| Which, when hated tyrants fell, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Great Alcæus boldly sung, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Warns, instructs, and pleases well. | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| Nor has Time's all-darkening shade | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| In obscure oblivion press'd | 8 | ·˘/˘/˘˘· |
| What Anacreon laugh'd and play'd; | 7 | ······· |
| Gay Anacreon, drunken priest! | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Gentle Sappho, love-sick muse, | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Warms the heart with amorous fire; | 9 | ····/˘˘/˘ |
| Still her tenderest notes infuse | 8 | ··/˘˘·˘/ |
| Melting rapture, soft desire. | 8 | /˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Beauteous Helen, young and gay, | 8 | /˘˘/˘··· |
| By a painted fopling won, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Went not first, fair nymph, astray, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Fondly pleased to be undone. | 8 | /˘·˘··˘/ |
| Nor young Teucer's slaughtering bow, | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| Nor bold Hector's dreadful sword, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Alone the terrors of the foe, | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Sow'd the field with hostile blood. | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Many valiant chiefs of old | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Greatly lived and died before | 8 | /˘·˘···· |
| Agamemnon, Grecian bold, | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| Waged the ten years' famous war. | 8 | ·˘···/˘· |
| But their names, unsung, unwept, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Unrecorded, lost and gone, | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| Long in endless night have slept, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| And shall now no more be known. | 7 | ······· |
| Virtue, which the poet's care | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Has not well consign'd to fame, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Lies, as in the sepulchre | 6 | ······ |
| Some old king, without a name. | 7 | ······· |
| But, O Humphry, great and free, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| While my tuneful songs are read, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Old forgetful Time on thee | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| Dark oblivion ne'er shall spread. | 8 | ·˘/˘˘··· |
| When the deep cut notes shall fade | 7 | ······· |
| On the mouldering Parian stone, | 8 | ··/˘/˘˘· |
| On the brass no more be read | 7 | ······· |
| The perishing inscription; | 7 | ·/˘˘˘/˘ |
| Forgotten all the enemies, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Envious G----n's cursed spite, | 8 | /˘˘···˘· |
| And P----l's derogating lies, | 8 | ········ |
| Lost and sunk in Stygian night; | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| Still thy labour and thy care, | 7 | ··/···· |
| What for Dublin thou hast done, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| In full lustre shall appear, | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| And outshine th' unclouded sun. | 7 | ·/····· |
| Large thy mind, and not untried, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| For Hibernia now doth stand, | 8 | ··/˘˘··· |
| Through the calm, or raging tide, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Safe conducts the ship to land. | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| Falsely we call the rich man great, | 8 | /˘······ |
| He is only so that knows | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| His plentiful or small estate | 8 | ·/˘˘··˘/ |
| Wisely to enjoy and use. | 7 | /˘·˘/·· |
| He in wealth or poverty, | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| Fortune's power alike defies; | 8 | /˘/˘˘/˘/ |
| And falsehood and dishonesty | 8 | ·/··˘/˘˘ |
| More than death abhors and flies: | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Flies from death!--no, meets it brave, | 7 | ······· |
| When the suffering so severe | 8 | ··/˘˘·˘/ |
| May from dreadful bondage save | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Clients, friends, or country dear. | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| This the sovereign man, complete; | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| Hero; patriot; glorious; free; | 8 | /˘/˘˘/˘· |
| Rich and wise; and good and great; | 7 | ······· |
| Generous Humphry, thou art he. | 8 | /˘˘/˘··· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.