Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations

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Various
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Title: Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations
Author: Various
Release Date: February 21, 2005 [EBook #15119]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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QUOTATIONS ***
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[Illustration: Henry W. Longfellow.]
HANDY DICTIONARY
OF
POETICAL QUOTATIONS
COMPILED BY
GEORGE W. POWERS
AUTHOR OF "IMPORTANT EVENTS," ETC.
NEW YORK
THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
PUBLISHERS
1901
BY T.Y. CROWELL & COMPANY.
PREFACE.
It has been the aim of the compiler of this little book to present a

Dictionary of Poetical Quotations which will be a ready reference to
many of the most familiar stanzas and lines of the chief poets of the
English language, with a few selections from Continental writers; and
also some less familiar selections from more modern poets, which may
in time become classic, or which at least have a contemporary interest.
Readers of English literature are aware that the few great poets of our
language have struck perhaps every chord of human sentiment capable
of illustration in verse, and even these few have borrowed the ideas,
and sometimes almost the exact words, of predecessors or
contemporaries.
But often old ideas in a new dress are welcome to readers who might
not have been attracted by the old forms; and each generation has its
peculiar modes of expression if not its new lines of thought. It is hoped
that this mingling of the old and the new will not be without interest.
To carry out the plan of making this a "handy" dictionary of quotations
and, at the same time, as comprehensive as the space permitted, it has
been necessary to confine the illustration of the topics selected to brief
extracts from each author. Of course, in all books of quotations the
great name of Shakespeare fills the largest space; and the compiler of
this book, as well as all students of Shakespeare, is under obligation to
the painstaking compilers of the concordances to this poet, and
especially to Mr. Bartlett's monumental work. To many other compilers
of quotations, especially to the _Poetical Quotations_ Anna L. Ward
(published by Messrs. T.Y. Crowell & Co.), the author is under
obligations; while he has made an independent examination of the more
recent poets, as well as many of the older ones. The topics illustrated
number 2138, selected from the writings of 255 authors. The indexes,
which will be found full and complete, were prepared by Mrs. Grace E.
Powers, who has also rendered valuable assistance in preparing the
copy for the press and in reading the proofs.
G.W.P.
DORCHESTER, MASS.,
July, 1901.
HANDY DICTIONARY OF POETICAL
QUOTATIONS.

==A.==
=Abashed.=
Abash'd the devil stood,
And felt how awful goodness is, and saw

Virtue in her shape how lovely.
1
MILTON: Par. Lost, Bk. iv., Line
846.
=Abbots.=
To happy convents bosom'd deep in vines,
Where slumber abbots
purple as their wines.
2
POPE: Dunciad, Bk. iv., Line 301.
=Abdication.=
I give this heavy weight from off my head,
And this unwieldy sceptre
from my hand,
The pride of kingly sway from out my heart;
With
mine own tears I wash away my balm,
With mine own hands I give
away my crown,
With mine own tongue deny my sacred state,
With
mine own breath release all duteous oaths.
3
SHAKS.: Richard II.,
Act iv., Sc. 1.
=Abdiel.=
So spake the seraph Abdiel, faithful found;
Among the faithless,
faithful only he.
4
MILTON: Par. Lost, Bk. v., Line 896.
=Ability.=
I profess not talking; only this,
Let each man do his best.
5

SHAKS.: 1 Henry IV., Act v., Sc. 2.
=Absence.=
What! keep a week away! Seven days and nights?
Eight score eight

hours? and lovers' absent hours,
More tedious than the dial eight
score times?
O weary reckoning!
6
SHAKS.: Othello, Act iii., Sc.
1.
Though lost to sight, to memory dear
Thou ever wilt remain.
7

GEORGE LINLEY: Song, Though Lost to Sight.
Condemn'd whole years in absence to deplore,
And image charms he
must behold no more.
8
POPE: Eloisa to A., Line 361.
O last love! O first love!
My love with the true heart,
To think I
have come to this your home,
And yet--we are apart!
9
JEAN
INGELOW: Sailing Beyond Seas.
'Tis said that absence conquers love;
But oh believe it not!
I've tried,
alas! its power to prove,
But thou art not forgot.
10
FREDERICK
W. THOMAS: Absence Conquers Love.
=Abstinence.=
Against diseases here the strongest fence
Is the defensive virtue
abstinence.
11
HERRICK: Aph. Abstinence.
=Abuse.=
Thou thread, thou thimble,
Thou yard, three quarters, half-yard,
quarter, nail,
Thou flea, thou nit, thou winter cricket thou:
Away
thou rag, thou quantity, thou remnant.
12
SHAKS.: Tam. of the S.,
Act iv., Sc. 3.
=Accident.=
As the unthought-on accident is guilty
Of what we wildly do, so we
profess
Ourselves