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Sonnets: Idea XIV

By Michael Drayton

Topics: classic

If he, from heaven that filched that living fire,         Condemned by Jove to endless torment be,         I greatly marvel how you still go free     That far beyond Prometheus did aspire.     The fire he stole, although of heavenly kind,         Which from above he craftily did take,         Of lifeless clods us living men to make     He did bestow in temper of the mind.     But you broke into heaven's immortal store,         Where virtue, honour, wit, and beauty lay;         Which taking thence, you have escaped away,     Yet stand as free as e'er you did before.         Yet old Prometheus punished for his rape;         Thus poor thieves suffer when the greater 'scape.

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"If he, from heaven that filched that living fire,..."

This evocative piece by Michael Drayton, titled "Sonnets: Idea XIV", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Michael Drayton

"If he, from heaven that filched that living fire,..." by Michael Drayton

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Michael Drayton

About Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton (1563–1631) was an English poet whose "Poly-Olbion" (1612–1622) is a vast topographical poem describing the landscape and legends of England and Wales. His sonnet "Since there's no help" is among the finest of the Elizabethan era.

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"DORILVS in sorrowes deepe,         Autumne waxing ..."

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