To the King.—1728
Old ocean's praiseDemands my lays;A truly British theme I sing;A theme so great,I dare complete,And join with ocean, ocean's king.
The Roman odeMajestic flow'd:Its stream divinely clear, and strong;In sense, and sound,Thebes roll'd profound;The torrent roar'd and foam'd along.
Let Thebes, nor Rome,So fam'd, presumeTo triumph o'er a northern isle;Late time shall knowThe north can glow,If dread Augustus deign to smile.
The naval crownIs all his own!Our fleet, if war, or commerce, call,His will performsThrough waves and storms,And rides in triumph round the ball.
No former race,With strong embrace,This theme to ravish durst aspire;With virgin charmsMy soul it warms,And melts melodious on my lyre.
My lays I fileWith cautious toil;Ye graces! turn the glowing lines;On anvils neatYour strokes repeat;At every stroke the work refines!
How music charms!How metre warms!Parent of actions, good and brave!How vice it tames!And worth inflames!And holds proud empire o'er the grave!
Jove mark'd for manA scanty span,But lent him wings to fly his doom;Wit scorns the grave;To wit he gaveThe life of gods! immortal bloom!
Since years will fly,And pleasures die,Day after day, as years advance;Since, while life lasts,Joy suffers blastsFrom frowning fate, and fickle chance;
Nor life is long;But soon we throng,Like autumn leaves, death's pallid shore;We make, at least,Of bad the best,If in life's phantom, fame, we soar.
Our strains divideThe laurel's pride;With those we lift to life, to live;By fame enroll'dWith heroes bold,And share the blessings which we give.
What hero's praiseCan fire my lays,Like his, with whom my lay begun?"Justice sincere,And courage clear,Rise the two columns of his throne.
"How form'd for sway!Who look, obey;They read the monarch in his port:Their love and aweSupply the law;And his own lustre makes the court:"
On yonder height,What golden lightTriumphant shines? and shines alone?Unrivall'd blaze!The nations gaze!'Tis not the sun; 'tis Britain's throne.
Our monarch, there,Rear'd high in air,Should tempests rise, disdains to bend;Like British oak,Derides the stroke;His blooming honours far extend!
Beneath them lies,With lifted eyes,Fair Albion, like an amorous maid;While interest wingsBold foreign kingsTo fly, like eagles, to his shade.
At his proud footThe sea, pour'd out,Immortal nourishment supplies;Thence wealth and state,And power and fate,Which Europe reads in George's eyes.
From what we view,We take the clue,Which leads from great to greater thingMen doubt no more,But gods adore,When such resemblance shines in kings.
Words in this poem
- presume v. t.
- To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained. [F. présumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See Assume, Redeem.]
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- 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,]
- deign v. t.
- To esteem worthy; to consider worth notice; -- opposed to disdain. [OE. deinen, deignen, OF. degner, deigner, daigner, F. daigner, fr. L. dignari to deem worthy, deign, fr. dignus worthy; akin to decere to be fitting. See Decent]
- aspire v. t.
- To aspire to; to long for; to try to reach; to mount to.
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- lustre n.
- A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- albion n.
- An ancient name of England, still retained in poetry. [Prob. from the same root as Gael. alp a height or hill. "It may have been bestowed on the land lying behind the white cliffs visible from the coast of Gaul. Alb]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- clue n.
- A ball of thread, yarn, or cord; also, The thread itself. [OE. clewe, clowe, clue, AS. cleowen, cliwen, clywe ball of thread; akin to D. kluwen, OHG. chliwa, chliuwa, G. dim. kleuel, knäuel, and perch. to L. gluma hull,]
- adore v. t.
- To worship with profound reverence; to pay divine honors to; to honor as deity or as divine. [OE. aouren, anouren, adoren, OF. aorer, adorer, F. adorer, fr. L. adorare; ad + orare to speak, pray, os, oris, mouth. In OE. confused with honor, the French pr]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
To the King.—1728 is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Edward Young, Volume 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #18827; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Edward Young, To the King.—1728, in The Last Day, and Other Poems (1742–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #18827, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/young-night-thoughts/to-the-king-1728.html, id L09466.
Form and metre
To the King.—1728 is 108 lines in 18 stanzas of 6 lines each. The commonest rhyme scheme is AABCCB, in 8 of the 18 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. The metre is iambic dimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 95%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 5.4 syllables. 19% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic dimeter.
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 AAB--B praiseA · laysA · singB · great · complete · kingB
- 2 AABCCB odeA · flow'dA · strongB · soundC · profoundC · alongB
- 3 --ABBA rome · presume · isleA · knowB · glowB · smileA
- 4 --ABBA crown · own · callA · performsB · stormsB · ballA
- 5 AAB--B raceA · embraceA · aspireB · charms · warms · lyreB
- 6 --ABBA file · toil · linesA · neatB · repeatB · refinesA
- 7 --ABBA charms · warms · braveA · tamesB · inflamesB · graveA
- 8 AABCCB manA · spanA · doomB · graveC · gaveC · bloomB
- 9 AABCCB flyA · dieA · advanceB · lastsC · blastsC · chanceB
- 10 AAB--B longA · throngA · shoreB · least · best · soarB
- 11 AABCCB divideA · prideA · liveB · enroll'dC · boldC · giveB
- 12 AA-BB- praiseA · laysA · begun · sincereB · clearB · throne
- 13 AABCCB swayA · obeyA · portB · aweC · lawC · courtB
- 14 AABCCB heightA · lightA · aloneB · blazeC · gazeC · throneB
- 15 AABCCB thereA · airA · bendB · oakC · strokeC · extendB
- 16 AABCCB liesA · eyesA · maidB · wingsC · kingsC · shadeB
- 17 --ABBA foot · out · suppliesA · stateB · fateB · eyesA
- 18 AA-BB- viewA · clueA · thing · moreB · adoreB · kings
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 dimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Old ocean's praise | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Demands my lays; | 4 | ˘/·· |
| A truly British theme I sing; | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| A theme so great, | 4 | ···· |
| I dare complete, | 4 | ··˘/ |
| And join with ocean, ocean's king. | 7 | ···//˘· |
| The Roman ode | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Majestic flow'd: | 4 | ˘/˘· |
| Its stream divinely clear, and strong; | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| In sense, and sound, | 4 | ···· |
| Thebes roll'd profound; | 4 | ··˘/ |
| The torrent roar'd and foam'd along. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Let Thebes, nor Rome, | 4 | ···· |
| So fam'd, presume | 4 | ··˘/ |
| To triumph o'er a northern isle; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Late time shall know | 4 | ···· |
| The north can glow, | 4 | ···· |
| If dread Augustus deign to smile. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| The naval crown | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Is all his own! | 4 | ···· |
| Our fleet, if war, or commerce, call, | 8 | /····/˘· |
| His will performs | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Through waves and storms, | 4 | ···· |
| And rides in triumph round the ball. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| No former race, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| With strong embrace, | 4 | ··˘/ |
| This theme to ravish durst aspire; | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| With virgin charms | 4 | ·/˘· |
| My soul it warms, | 4 | ···· |
| And melts melodious on my lyre. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| My lays I file | 4 | ···· |
| With cautious toil; | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Ye graces! turn the glowing lines; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| On anvils neat | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Your strokes repeat; | 4 | ··˘/ |
| At every stroke the work refines! | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| How music charms! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| How metre warms! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Parent of actions, good and brave! | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| How vice it tames! | 4 | ···· |
| And worth inflames! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| And holds proud empire o'er the grave! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Jove mark'd for man | 4 | ···· |
| A scanty span, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| But lent him wings to fly his doom; | 8 | ········ |
| Wit scorns the grave; | 4 | ···· |
| To wit he gave | 4 | ···· |
| The life of gods! immortal bloom! | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Since years will fly, | 4 | ···· |
| And pleasures die, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Day after day, as years advance; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Since, while life lasts, | 4 | ···· |
| Joy suffers blasts | 4 | ·/˘· |
| From frowning fate, and fickle chance; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Nor life is long; | 4 | ···· |
| But soon we throng, | 4 | ···· |
| Like autumn leaves, death's pallid shore; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| We make, at least, | 4 | ···· |
| Of bad the best, | 4 | ···· |
| If in life's phantom, fame, we soar. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Our strains divide | 4 | /·˘/ |
| The laurel's pride; | 4 | ·/˘· |
| With those we lift to life, to live; | 8 | ········ |
| By fame enroll'd | 4 | ··˘/ |
| With heroes bold, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| And share the blessings which we give. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| What hero's praise | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Can fire my lays, | 4 | ·/·· |
| Like his, with whom my lay begun? | 8 | ······˘/ |
| "Justice sincere, | 4 | /˘˘/ |
| And courage clear, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Rise the two columns of his throne. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "How form'd for sway! | 4 | ···· |
| Who look, obey; | 4 | ··˘/ |
| They read the monarch in his port: | 8 | ···/···· |
| Their love and awe | 4 | ···· |
| Supply the law; | 4 | ˘/·· |
| And his own lustre makes the court:" | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| On yonder height, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| What golden light | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Triumphant shines? and shines alone? | 8 | ˘/˘···˘/ |
| Unrivall'd blaze! | 4 | ···· |
| The nations gaze! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| 'Tis not the sun; 'tis Britain's throne. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Our monarch, there, | 4 | //·· |
| Rear'd high in air, | 4 | ···· |
| Should tempests rise, disdains to bend; | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Like British oak, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Derides the stroke; | 4 | ˘/·· |
| His blooming honours far extend! | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Beneath them lies, | 4 | ···· |
| With lifted eyes, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Fair Albion, like an amorous maid; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| While interest wings | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Bold foreign kings | 4 | ·/˘· |
| To fly, like eagles, to his shade. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| At his proud foot | 4 | ···· |
| The sea, pour'd out, | 4 | ···· |
| Immortal nourishment supplies; | 7 | ˘/˘/˘˘/ |
| Thence wealth and state, | 4 | ···· |
| And power and fate, | 4 | ·/·· |
| Which Europe reads in George's eyes. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| From what we view, | 4 | ···· |
| We take the clue, | 4 | ···· |
| Which leads from great to greater thing | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Men doubt no more, | 4 | ···· |
| But gods adore, | 4 | ··˘/ |
| When such resemblance shines in kings. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
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