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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
UPON THE AUTHOR, by PATRICK DELANY First Line: Had I ten thousand mouths and tongues Last Line: And help to set the world on fire. Subject(s): Sheridan, Thomas (1687-1738) | |||
Had I ten thousand mouths and tongues, Had I ten thousand pair of lungs, Ten thousand skulls with brains to think, Ten thousand standishes of ink, Ten thousand hands and pens to write, Thy praise I'd study day and night. Oh, may thy work forever live! (Dear Tom, a friendly zeal forgive.) May no vile miscreant, saucy cook, Presume to tear thy learned book To singe his fowl for nicer guest, Or pin it on the turkey's breast. keep it from pastry baked, or flying From broiling steak or fritters frying, From lighting pipe, or making snuff, Or casing up a feather muff. From all the sev'ral ways the grocer (Who to the learned world's a foe, sir) Has found in twisting, folding, packing, His brains and ours at once a-racking. And may it never curl the head Of either living block or dead. Thus when all dangers they have passed, Your leaves, like leaves of brass, shall last. No blast shall from a critic's breath By vile infection cause their death, 'Till they in flames at last expire, And help to set the world on fire. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...QUILCA HOUSE TO THE DEAN by HENRY BROOKE FROM MY MUCH HONORED FRIEND AT HELDELVILLE by PATRICK DELANY TO THOMAS SHERIDAN by PATRICK DELANY A POEM. OR ADVICE TO AUTHORS OF SATIRICAL POEM, UPON TOM PUNSIBI by SAMUEL OWENS A DESCRIPTION IN ANSWER TO THE JOURNAL, SELECTION by WILLIAM PERCIVAL A SATYR, SELECTION by JONATHAN SMEDLEY TO DR. SHERIDAN by JONATHAN SWIFT TO MY LEARNED FRIEND, THOMAS SHERIDAN by JONATHAN SWIFT TO THOMAS SHERIDAN by JONATHAN SWIFT FROM MY MUCH HONORED FRIEND AT HELDELVILLE by PATRICK DELANY |
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