Horace, Book II, Ode I, Paraphrased: Addressed to Richard Steele, Esq. 1714
Dick, thou'rt resolved, as I am told,Some strange arcana to unfold,And with the help of Buckley's pen,To vamp the good old cause again:Which thou (such Burnet's shrewd advice is)Must furbish up, and nickname Crisis.Thou pompously wilt let us knowWhat all the world knew long ago,(E'er since Sir William Gore was mayor,And Harley fill'd the commons' chair,)That we a German prince must own,When Anne for Heaven resigns her throne.But, more than that, thou'lt keep a rout,With--who is in--and who is out;Thou'lt rail devoutly at the peace,And all its secret causes trace,The bucket-play 'twixt Whigs and Tories,Their ups and downs, with fifty storiesOf tricks the Lord of Oxford knows,And errors of our plenipoes.Thou'lt tell of leagues among the great,Portending ruin to our state:And of that dreadful coup d'éclat,Which has afforded thee much chat.The queen, forsooth! (despotic,) gaveTwelve coronets without thy leave!A breach of liberty, 'tis own'd,For which no heads have yet atoned!Believe me, what thou'st undertakenMay bring in jeopardy thy bacon;For madmen, children, wits, and fools,Should never meddle with edged tools.But, since thou'st got into the fire,And canst not easily retire,Thou must no longer deal in farce,Nor pump to cobble wicked verse;Until thou shall have eased thy conscience,Of spleen, of politics, and nonsense;And, when thou'st bid adieu to cares,And settled Europe's grand affairs,'Twill then, perhaps, be worth thy whileFor Drury Lane to shape thy style:"To make a pair of jolly fellows,The son and father, join to tell us,How sons may safely disobey,And fathers never should say nay;By which wise conduct they grow friendsAt last--and so the story ends."When first I knew thee, Dick, thou wertRenown'd for skill in Faustus' art;Which made thy closet much frequentedBy buxom lasses--some repentedTheir luckless choice of husbands--othersImpatient to be like their mothers,Received from thee profound directionsHow best to settle their affections.Thus thou, a friend to the distress'd,Didst in thy calling do thy best.But now the senate (if things hit,And thou at Stockbridge wert not bit)Must feel thy eloquence and fire,Approve thy schemes, thy wit admire,Thee with immortal honours crown,While, patriot-like, thou'lt strut and frown.What though by enemies 'tis said,The laurel, which adorns thy head,Must one day come in competition,By virtue of some sly petition:Yet mum for that; hope still the best,Nor let such cares disturb thy rest.Methinks I hear thee loud as trumpet,As bagpipe shrill or oyster-strumpet;Methinks I see thee, spruce and fine,With coat embroider'd richly shine,And dazzle all the idol faces,As through the hall thy worship paces;(Though this I speak but at a venture,Supposing thou hast tick with Hunter,)Methinks I see a blackguard routAttend thy coach, and hear them shoutIn approbation of thy tongue,Which (in their style) is purely hung.Now! now you carry all before you!Nor dares one Jacobite or ToryPretend to answer one syl-lable,Except the matchless hero Abel.What though her highness and her spouse,In Antwerp keep a frugal house,Yet, not forgetful of a friend,They'll soon enable thee to spend,If to Macartney thou wilt toast,And to his pious patron's ghost.Now, manfully thou'lt run a tilt"On popes, for all the blood they've spilt,For massacres, and racks, and flames,For lands enrich'd by crimson streams,For inquisitions taught by Spain,Of which the Christian world complain."Dick, we agree--all's true thou'st said,As that my Muse is yet a maid.But, if I may with freedom talk,All this is foreign to thy walk:Thy genius has perhaps a knackAt trudging in a beaten track,But is for state affairs as fitAs mine for politics and wit.Then let us both in time grow wise,Nor higher than our talents rise;To some snug cellar let's repair,From duns and debts, and drown our care;Now quaff of honest ale a quart,Now venture at a pint of port;With which inspired, we'll club each nightSome tender sonnet to indite,And with Tom D'Urfey, Phillips, Dennis,Immortalize our Dolls and Jennys.
Words in this poem 33
- vamp v. i.
- To advance; to travel.
- shrewd a.
- Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish. [Originally the p. p. of shrew, v.t.]
- furbish v. t.
- To rub or scour to brightness; to clean; to burnish; as, to furbish a sword or spear. [OE. forbischen, OF. forbir, furbir, fourbir, F. fourbir, fr. OHG. furban to clean. See -ish.]
- crisis n.
- The point of time when it is to be decided whether any affair or course of action must go on, or be modified or terminate; the decisive moment; the turning point. [L. crisis, Gr. Certain.]
- devoutly adv.
- In a devout and reverent manner; with devout emotions; piously.
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- forsooth v. t.
- To address respectfully with the term forsooth.
- jeopardy n.
- Exposure to death, loss, or injury; hazard; danger. [OE. jupartie, juperti, jeuparti, OF. jeu parti an even game, a game in which the chances are even; OF. jeu, ju, F. jeu (L. jocus jest) + F. partier to divide, L]
- meddle v. i.
- To mix; to mingle. [OE. medlen to mix, OF. medler, mesler, F. mêler, LL. misculare, a dim. fr. L. miscere to mix. Mix, and cf. Medley, Mellay.]
- cobble n.
- A fishing boat. See Coble.
- 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,]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- buxom a.
- Yielding; pliable or compliant; ready to obey; obedient; tractable; docile; meek; humble. [OE. buxum, boxom, buhsum, pliable, obedient, AS. bocsum, buhsum (akin to D. buigzaam blexible, G. biegsam); bugan to bow, bend + -sum, E. -some. See Bow to bend]
- luckless a.
- Being without luck; unpropitious; unfortunate; unlucky; meeting with ill success or bad fortune; as, a luckless gamester; a luckless maid.
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- admire v. t.
- To regard with wonder or astonishment; to view with surprise; to marvel at. [F. admirer, fr. L. admirari; ad + mirari to wonder, for smirari, akin to Gr. smi, and E. smile.]
- methinks v.
- It seems to me; I think. See Me. [AS. þyncan to seem, me þynceedh, me þuhte, OE. me thinketh, me thoughte; akin to G. dünken to seem, denken to think, and E. think. See Me, and Think.]
- dazzle v. t.
- To overpower with light; to confuse the sight of by brilliance of light. [Freq. of daze.]
- idol n.
- An image or representation of anything. [OE. idole, F. idole, L. idolum, fr. Gr. Wit, and cf. Eidolon.]
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- approbation n.
- Proof; attestation. [L. approbatio: cf. F. approbation. See Approve to prove.]
- jacobite n.
- A partisan or adherent of James the Second, after his abdication, or of his descendants, an opposer of the revolution in 1688 in favor of William and Mary. [L. Jacobus James: cf. F. Jacobite. See 2d Jack.]
- highness n.
- The state of being high; elevation; loftiness. [AS. heáhnes.]
- spouse v. t.
- To wed; to espouse. [See Espouse, and Spouse, n.]
- forgetful a.
- Apt to forget; easily losing remembrance; as, a forgetful man should use helps to strengthen his memory.
- enable v. t.
- To give strength or ability to; to make firm and strong.
- macartney n.
- A fire-backed pheasant. See Fireback.
- ghost n.
- The spirit; the soul of man. [OE. gast, gost, soul, spirit, AS. gast breath, spirit, soul; akin to OS. g spirit, soul, D. geest, G. geist, and prob. to E. gaze, ghastly.]
- knack v. i.
- To crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise to chink. [Obs. or Prov. [Prob. of imitative origin; cf. G. knacken to break, Dan. knage to crack, and E. knock.]
- quaff v. t.
- To drink with relish; to drink copiously of; to swallow in large draughts. [For quach, fr. Gael. & Ir. cuach a drinking cup; cf. L. caucus a drinking vessel. Cf. Quaigh.]
- sonnet n.
- A short poem, -- usually amatory. [F., fr. It. sonetto, fr. suono a sound, a song, fr. L. sonus a sound. See Sound noise.]
- indite v. t.
- To compose; to write; to be author of; to dictate; to prompt. [OE. enditen to indite, indict, OF. enditer to indicate, show, dictate, write, inform, and endicter to accuse; both fr. LL. indictare to show, to accuse, fr. L. ]
- immortalize v. t.
- To render immortal; to cause to live or exist forever. S. Clarke. [Cf. F. immortaliser.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Horace, Book II, Ode I, Paraphrased: Addressed to Richard Steele, Esq. 1714 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 II, Ode I, Paraphrased: Addressed to Richard Steele, Esq. 1714, in Cadenus and Vanessa, and Other Poems (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/horace-book-ii-ode-i-paraphrased-addressed-to-richard-steele-esq-1714.html, id L25687.
Form and metre
Horace, Book II, Ode I, Paraphrased: Addressed to Richard Steele, Esq. 1714 is 116 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 67% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic 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 AABB--CC--DDEE--FFFFGGHH----IIJJ------KKLL--MMNN----OOPPQQRR--SSTTSSUUVVWW----XXYY----ZZaabbcc--dd--eeffgghhiijjkk-- toldA · unfoldA · penB · againB · is · crisis · knowC · agoC · mayor · chair · ownD · throneD · routE · outE · peace · trace · toriesF · storiesF · knowsF · plenipoesF · greatG · stateG · d'éclatH · chatH · gave · leave · own'd · atoned · undertakenI · baconI · foolsJ · toolsJ · fire · retire · farce · verse · conscience · nonsense · caresK · affairsK · whileL · styleL · fellows · us · disobeyM · nayM · friendsN · endsN · wert · art · frequented · repented · othersO · mothersO · directionsP · affectionsP · distress'dQ · bestQ · hitR · bitR · fire · admire · crownS · frownS · saidT · headT · competitionS · petitionS · bestU · restU · trumpetV · strumpetV · fineW · shineW · faces · paces · venture · hunter · routX · shoutX · tongueY · hungY · you · tory · lable · abel · spouseZ · houseZ · frienda · spenda · toastb · ghostb · tiltc · spiltc · flames · streams · spaind · complaind · said · maid · talke · walke · knackf · trackf · fitg · witg · wiseh · riseh · repairi · carei · quartj · portj · nightk · inditek · dennis · jennys
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 iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Dick, thou'rt resolved, as I am told, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Some strange arcana to unfold, | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| And with the help of Buckley's pen, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| To vamp the good old cause again: | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Which thou (such Burnet's shrewd advice is) | 9 | ···/˘·˘/· |
| Must furbish up, and nickname Crisis. | 9 | ·/˘··/·/˘ |
| Thou pompously wilt let us know | 8 | ········ |
| What all the world knew long ago, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| (E'er since Sir William Gore was mayor, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| And Harley fill'd the commons' chair,) | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That we a German prince must own, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| When Anne for Heaven resigns her throne. | 8 | ···/˘/·· |
| But, more than that, thou'lt keep a rout, | 8 | ········ |
| With--who is in--and who is out; | 8 | ········ |
| Thou'lt rail devoutly at the peace, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| And all its secret causes trace, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| The bucket-play 'twixt Whigs and Tories, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Their ups and downs, with fifty stories | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Of tricks the Lord of Oxford knows, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And errors of our plenipoes. | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| Thou'lt tell of leagues among the great, | 8 | ········ |
| Portending ruin to our state: | 8 | ˘/˘/·/˘· |
| And of that dreadful coup d'éclat, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Which has afforded thee much chat. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| The queen, forsooth! (despotic,) gave | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| Twelve coronets without thy leave! | 8 | ·/˘/···· |
| A breach of liberty, 'tis own'd, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| For which no heads have yet atoned! | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Believe me, what thou'st undertaken | 9 | ˘/···/˘·˘ |
| May bring in jeopardy thy bacon; | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| For madmen, children, wits, and fools, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Should never meddle with edged tools. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| But, since thou'st got into the fire, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And canst not easily retire, | 8 | ···/˘˘˘/ |
| Thou must no longer deal in farce, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Nor pump to cobble wicked verse; | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Until thou shall have eased thy conscience, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Of spleen, of politics, and nonsense; | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| And, when thou'st bid adieu to cares, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| And settled Europe's grand affairs, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| 'Twill then, perhaps, be worth thy while | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| For Drury Lane to shape thy style: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "To make a pair of jolly fellows, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| The son and father, join to tell us, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| How sons may safely disobey, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| And fathers never should say nay; | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| By which wise conduct they grow friends | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| At last--and so the story ends." | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| When first I knew thee, Dick, thou wert | 8 | ········ |
| Renown'd for skill in Faustus' art; | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Which made thy closet much frequented | 9 | ···/˘·/˘˘ |
| By buxom lasses--some repented | 9 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Their luckless choice of husbands--others | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Impatient to be like their mothers, | 9 | ˘/˘····/˘ |
| Received from thee profound directions | 9 | ˘/··˘/˘/˘ |
| How best to settle their affections. | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| Thus thou, a friend to the distress'd, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Didst in thy calling do thy best. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| But now the senate (if things hit, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And thou at Stockbridge wert not bit) | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Must feel thy eloquence and fire, | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| Approve thy schemes, thy wit admire, | 8 | ˘/····˘/ |
| Thee with immortal honours crown, | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| While, patriot-like, thou'lt strut and frown. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| What though by enemies 'tis said, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| The laurel, which adorns thy head, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Must one day come in competition, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| By virtue of some sly petition: | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
| Yet mum for that; hope still the best, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor let such cares disturb thy rest. | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Methinks I hear thee loud as trumpet, | 9 | ˘/·····/˘ |
| As bagpipe shrill or oyster-strumpet; | 9 | ·/···/˘/˘ |
| Methinks I see thee, spruce and fine, | 8 | ˘/······ |
| With coat embroider'd richly shine, | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| And dazzle all the idol faces, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| As through the hall thy worship paces; | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| (Though this I speak but at a venture, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Supposing thou hast tick with Hunter,) | 9 | ˘/˘····/˘ |
| Methinks I see a blackguard rout | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Attend thy coach, and hear them shout | 8 | ˘/······ |
| In approbation of thy tongue, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Which (in their style) is purely hung. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Now! now you carry all before you! | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Nor dares one Jacobite or Tory | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| Pretend to answer one syl-lable, | 9 | ˘/·/˘···· |
| Except the matchless hero Abel. | 9 | ···/˘/˘/˘ |
| What though her highness and her spouse, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In Antwerp keep a frugal house, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Yet, not forgetful of a friend, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| They'll soon enable thee to spend, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| If to Macartney thou wilt toast, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| And to his pious patron's ghost. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Now, manfully thou'lt run a tilt | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| "On popes, for all the blood they've spilt, | 8 | ········ |
| For massacres, and racks, and flames, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| For lands enrich'd by crimson streams, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| For inquisitions taught by Spain, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Of which the Christian world complain." | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Dick, we agree--all's true thou'st said, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| As that my Muse is yet a maid. | 8 | ········ |
| But, if I may with freedom talk, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| All this is foreign to thy walk: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Thy genius has perhaps a knack | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| At trudging in a beaten track, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| But is for state affairs as fit | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| As mine for politics and wit. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Then let us both in time grow wise, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor higher than our talents rise; | 8 | ·/·/˘/˘· |
| To some snug cellar let's repair, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| From duns and debts, and drown our care; | 8 | ······/· |
| Now quaff of honest ale a quart, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Now venture at a pint of port; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| With which inspired, we'll club each night | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Some tender sonnet to indite, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| And with Tom D'Urfey, Phillips, Dennis, | 9 | ···/˘/˘/˘ |
| Immortalize our Dolls and Jennys. | 9 | ˘/˘˘/··/˘ |
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.