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Songs In The "Indian Emperor."

By John Dryden

Topics: classic

I.         Ah, fading joy! how quickly art thou past!             Yet we thy ruin haste.         As if the cares of human life were few,             We seek out new:         And follow Fate, which would too fast pursue.         See how on every bough the birds express,         In their sweet notes, their happiness.         They all enjoy, and nothing spare;         But on their mother Nature lay their care:         Why then should man, the lord of all below,             Such troubles choose to know,         As none of all his subjects undergo?         Hark, hark, the waters fall, fall, fall,         And with a murmuring sound         Dash, dash upon the ground,             To gentle slumbers call. II.         I look'd, and saw within the book of fate,             When many days did lour,             When lo! one happy hour         Leap'd up, and smiled to save the sinking state;         A day shall come when in thy power             Thy cruel foes shall be;             Then shall thy land be free:             And then in peace shall reign;         But take, O take that opportunity,         Which, once refused, will never come again.

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Exploring the themes of classic, John Dryden delivers a powerful performance in "Songs In The "Indian Emperor.""... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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John Dryden

About John Dryden

John Dryden (1631–1700) was an English poet, critic, and playwright who served as the first Poet Laureate. His works—including "Absalom and Achitophel," "Mac Flecknoe," and "Alexander's Feast"—established the heroic couplet as the dominant verse form of the Restoration.

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