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Answered By Dr. Swift (To Lady Carteret)

By Jonathan Swift

Topics: classic

WITH half an eye your riddle I spy,     I observe your wicket hemm'd in by a thicket,     And whatever passes is strain'd through glasses.     You say it is quiet: I flatly deny it.     It wanders about, without stirring out;     No passion so weak but gives it a tweak;     Love, joy, and devotion, set it always in motion.     And as for trie tragic effects of its magic,     Which you say it can kill, or revive at its will,     The dead are all sound, and they live above ground:     After all you have writ, it cannot be wit;     Which plainly does follow, since it flies from Apollo.     Its cowardice such it cries at a touch;     'Tis a perfect milksop, grows drunk with a drop,     Another great fault, it cannot bear salt:     And a hair can disarm it of every charm.

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"WITH half an eye your riddle I spy,..."

"Answered By Dr. Swift (To Lady Carteret)" is a quintessential example of Jonathan Swift's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Jonathan Swift

"WITH half an eye your riddle I spy,..." by Jonathan Swift

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Jonathan Swift

About Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) was an Irish satirist, essayist, and poet. Best known for "Gulliver's Travels," his poetry includes "A Description of a City Shower" and "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift." His sharp wit and moral indignation made him one of the greatest satirists in English.

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"The glass, by lovers' nonsense blurr'd,         Di..."

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