Familiar Talks on English Literature: A Manual Embracing the Great Epochs of English Literature from the English Conquest of Britain, 449, to the Death of Walter Scott, 1832 |
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Page 24
... songs of war and praises of heroes . The Scandi- navians had a sagaman and scald ; the English their scop and gleeman . The chiefs honored these men as princes honor poets . They had them at their feasts , they took them to the field of ...
... songs of war and praises of heroes . The Scandi- navians had a sagaman and scald ; the English their scop and gleeman . The chiefs honored these men as princes honor poets . They had them at their feasts , they took them to the field of ...
Page 26
... songs of the gleemen who sang at barbaric feasts where warriors , clothed in skins , spilled mead to the memory of dead heroes , and celebrated the glories of bloody warfare . Think of the unmelodious rhythm of this English singer ...
... songs of the gleemen who sang at barbaric feasts where warriors , clothed in skins , spilled mead to the memory of dead heroes , and celebrated the glories of bloody warfare . Think of the unmelodious rhythm of this English singer ...
Page 37
... song of rejoicing . A little more than a century after the death of Beda , Alfred the Great was born , one of the best and noblest of English kings , who for the work he did . in literature alone , deserves a high place in our remem ...
... song of rejoicing . A little more than a century after the death of Beda , Alfred the Great was born , one of the best and noblest of English kings , who for the work he did . in literature alone , deserves a high place in our remem ...
Page 37
... songs of the gleemen who sang at barbaric feasts where warriors , clothed in skins , spilled mead to the memory of dead heroes , and celebrated the glories of bloody warfare . Think of the unmelodious rhythm of this English singer ...
... songs of the gleemen who sang at barbaric feasts where warriors , clothed in skins , spilled mead to the memory of dead heroes , and celebrated the glories of bloody warfare . Think of the unmelodious rhythm of this English singer ...
Page 37
... song of rejoicing . A little more than a century after the death of Beda , Alfred the Great was born , one of the best and noblest of English kings , who for the work he did - 849-901 in literature alone , deserves a high place in our ...
... song of rejoicing . A little more than a century after the death of Beda , Alfred the Great was born , one of the best and noblest of English kings , who for the work he did - 849-901 in literature alone , deserves a high place in our ...
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Familiar Talks on English Literature: A Manual Embracing the Great Epochs of ... Abby Sage Richardson No preview available - 2016 |
Common terms and phrases
alliteration ballads beautiful Beda began Beowulf Britons Cadmon Cædmon called century characters Chaucer Christian Danes dear death deeds delight doth early England English language English literature English poetry essays Europe eyes fair fancy feast GEOFFREY CHAUCER give Grendel hall hand hath heard heart heaven Heorot hero hire honor Hrothgar imagination John JOHN GOWER JOHN WYCLIFFE king King Arthur lady land language Latin letters lines literary live London looked Lord monks natural never night noble Norman novel o'er old poem Piers Ploughman plays poet poetical Pope Prince prose Queen reign rhyme rich Robin Hood says seems Shakespeare sing songs soul speech Spenser spirit story style sweet taste tell Teutonic thee thou thought told took torrent streams translation verse Walter Map warriors wife women words write written wrote young
Popular passages
Page 131 - This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands, This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England...
Page 366 - The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold ; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.
Page 167 - Go, lovely Rose ! Tell her, that wastes her time and me, That now she knows, When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be. Tell her that's young And shuns to have her graces spied, That hadst thou sprung In deserts, where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died.
Page 236 - The world recedes ; it disappears ! Heaven opens on my eyes ! my ears With sounds seraphic ring ! Lend, lend your wings ! I mount ! I fly ! O grave, where is thy victory ? O death, where is thy sting...
Page 178 - To hear the lark begin his flight, And singing startle the dull night, From his watch-tower in the skies, Till the dappled dawn doth rise...
Page 367 - And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, But through it there roll'd not the breath of his pride : And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail ; And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
Page 130 - And thus expiring do foretell of him : His rash fierce blaze of riot cannot last, For violent fires soon burn out themselves ; Small showers last long, but sudden storms are short ; He tires betimes that spurs too fast betimes ; With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder : Light vanity, insatiate cormorant, Consuming means, soon preys upon itself.
Page 345 - High instincts, before which our mortal nature Did tremble like a guilty thing surprised : But for those first affections, Those shadowy recollections, Which, be they what they may, Are yet the fountain light of all our day, Are yet a master light of all our seeing...
Page 302 - Wept o'er his wounds, or tales of sorrow done, Shouldered his crutch, and showed how fields were won. Pleased with his guests, the good man learned to glow, And quite forgot their vices in their woe ; Careless their merits or their faults to scan, His pity gave ere charity began.
Page 177 - Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee Jest, and youthful jollity, Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles, Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles Such as hang on Hebe's cheek, And love to live in dimple sleek; Sport that wrinkled Care derides, And Laughter holding both his sides...