William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
Scorn not the Sonnet; Critic, you have frowned,
Mindless of its just honours; with this key
Shakespeare unlocked his heart; the melody
Of this small lute gave ease to Petrarch's wound;
A thousand times this pipe did Tasso sound;
Camoens soothed with it an exile's grief;
The Sonnet glittered a gay myrtle leaf
Amid the cypress with which Dante crowned
His visionary brow: a glow-worm lamp,
It cheered mild Spenser, called from Faeryland
To struggle through dark ways; and, when a damp
Fell round the path of Milton, in his hand
The Thing became a trumpet, whence he blew
Soul-animating strains -alas, too few!
Mindless of its just honours; with this key
Shakespeare unlocked his heart; the melody
Of this small lute gave ease to Petrarch's wound;
A thousand times this pipe did Tasso sound;
Camoens soothed with it an exile's grief;
The Sonnet glittered a gay myrtle leaf
Amid the cypress with which Dante crowned
His visionary brow: a glow-worm lamp,
It cheered mild Spenser, called from Faeryland
To struggle through dark ways; and, when a damp
Fell round the path of Milton, in his hand
The Thing became a trumpet, whence he blew
Soul-animating strains -alas, too few!
No way I'm passing the test sir. This class is too hard for me.
ReplyDeleteHave a more optimistic attitude, do the required reading, and prepare for the test.
ReplyDeleteWill this poem be on the test? Or will we have another sonnet?
ReplyDeleteIs this exam going to be open note? This Sonnet exam sounds hard.
ReplyDeleteugh...can't wait for that test...
ReplyDeleteNo, this poem will not be on the exam Susan. I just posted it to make you and your classmates aware of your need to prepare.
ReplyDeleteJeanette, no, it is not an open notebook test.
ReplyDeleteI'm not confident about passing...
ReplyDeletei think i did horrible on today's test :( so nervous to see my score!
ReplyDeleteI agree with kenia. I failed it because I wrote the essay wrong. NOT BUENO!
ReplyDeleteThis sonnet talks about several sonnet writers. I believe it is showing the journey the sonnet has come through and the people who affected it. It starts with the first known sonnet writer Petrach. Telling how Shakespeare used Petrach idea for his sonnet and so on.
ReplyDeleteI believe this Sonnet tells a mini story on how all sonnets have more than one meaning to them, as well as they have more than one story behind the making or thought of them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maurice's aspect on this sonnet,
and I like Keina's comment about that test we had.. haha :)