Classic and Contemporary Poetry
MENAPHON: MENAPHON'S ROUNDELAY, by ROBERT GREENE Poet's Biography First Line: When tender ewes, brought home with evening sun Last Line: And sat safe-shadow'd with the eagle's wings. Variant Title(s): The Eagle And The Fly Subject(s): Birds; Eagles | ||||||||
WHEN tender ewes, brought home with evening sun, Wend to their folds, And to their holds The shepherds trudge when light of day is done, Upon a tree The eagle, Jove's fair bird, did perch; There resteth he: A little fly his harbour then did search, And did presume, though others laugh'd thereat, To perch whereas the princely eagle sat. The eagle frown'd, and shook his royal wings, And charg'd the fly From thence to hie: Afraid, in haste the little creature flings, Yet seeks again, Fearful, to perk him by the eagle's side: With moody vein, The speedy post of Ganymede replied, "Vassal, avaunt, or with my wings you die: Is't fit an eagle seat him with a fly?" The fly crav'd pity, still the eagle frown'd: The silly fly, Ready to die, Disgrac'd, displac'd, fell grovelling to the ground: The eagle saw, And with a royal mind said to the fly, "Be not in awe, I scorn by me the meanest creature die; Then seat thee here." The joyful fly up flings, And sat safe-shadow'd with the eagle's wings. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ONE TO NOTHING by CAROLYN KIZER FOR THE LAST WOLVERINE by JAMES DICKEY THE EAGLE OF THE BLUE by HERMAN MELVILLE THE EAGLE; A FRAGMENT by ALFRED TENNYSON THE DALLIANCE OF THE EAGLES by WALT WHITMAN THE EAGLE AND THE MOLE by ELINOR WYLIE MYRMIDONES: THE WOUNDED EAGLE by AESCHYLUS A FAREWELL TO FOLLY: CONTENT by ROBERT GREENE |
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