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Essay on Man
Originally published in 1913 as part of the Pitt Press Series, this book contains the text of Alexander Pope's poetic 'epistles' on the nature of man, originally written between 1733 and 1734. Thompson prefaces the poems with a synopsis of each, as well as a history of their creation. Detailed notes follow at the end of the text. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the work of Alexander Pope.
- GenresPoetry
134 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2013
About the author
Alexander Pope
2,351 books703 followersPeople best remember
The Rape of the Lock
(1712) and
The Dunciad
(1728), satirical mock-epic poems of English writer Alexander Pope.
Ariel, a sylph, guards the heroine of The Rape of the Lock of Alexander Pope.
People generally regard Pope as the greatest of the 18th century and know his verse and his translation of Homer. After William Shakespeare and Alfred Tennyson, he ranks as third most frequently quoted in the language. Pope mastered the heroic couplet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexand...
Ariel, a sylph, guards the heroine of The Rape of the Lock of Alexander Pope.
People generally regard Pope as the greatest of the 18th century and know his verse and his translation of Homer. After William Shakespeare and Alfred Tennyson, he ranks as third most frequently quoted in the language. Pope mastered the heroic couplet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexand...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 2, 2018
What an exquisite philosophical poetry ! ! ! !
It is the best philosophy in poetic version and Every word has immense meaning so deeply around various topics but merely comprehend basics of man and their surroundings.
Intensely and supremely knitted in blossoming beauty of poetry.
Some of Greatest lines - -
"Two principles in human nature reign; Self-love, to urge, and
reason, to restrain; Nor this a good, nor that a bad we call, Each
works its end, to move or govern all: And to their proper operation
still Ascribe all Good, to their imprope"
"Oh fool! to think God hates the worthy mind, The lover and the love of human-kind, Whose life is healthful, and whose conscience clear, Because he wants a thousand pounds a year. Honour and shame from no condition rise; Act well your part, there all the honour lies. "
"Fortune her gifts may variously dispose, And these be happy call’d, unhappy those; But heav’n’s just balance equal will appear, While those are plac’d in hope, and these in fear: Not present good or ill, the joy or curse, But future views of better, or of worse."
"Nor ends the pleasure with the fierce embrace; They love themselves, a third time, in their race. Thus beast and bird their common charge attend The mothers nurse it, and the sires defend; The young dismiss’d to wander earth or air, There stops the instinct, and there ends the care; The link dissolves, each seeks a fresh embrace, Another love succeeds, another race. "
“Together let us beat this ample field, Try what the open, what the covert yield; The latent tracts, the giddy heights explore Of all who blindly creep, or sightless soar; Eye Nature’s walks, shoot folly as it flies, And catch the manners living as they rise; Laugh where we must, be candid where we can; But vindicate the ways of God to man.”
“Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar; Wait the great teacher death; and God adore.”
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.”
“Call imperfection what thou fanciest such, Say, here He gives too little, there too much: Destroy all creatures for thy sport or gust, Yet cry, If man’s unhappy, God’s unjust.”
“All Nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good: And, spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite, One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.”
“Know then thyself, presume not God to scan, The proper study of mankind is man.” “See! and confess, one comfort still must rise, ‘Tis this, - Though man’s a fool, yet God is wise.”
“For forms of government let fools contest; Whate’er is best administered is best: For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight; His can’t be wrong whose life is in the right: In faith and hope the world will disagree, But all mankind’s concern is charity: All must be false that thwart this one great end; And all of God, that bless mankind or mend.”
“The good must merit God’s peculiar care; But who, but God, can tell us who they are? One thinks on Calvin Heaven’s own Spirit fell; Another deems him instrument of hell; If Calvin feel Heaven’s blessing, or its rod, This cries, There is, and that, There is no God.”
“For wit’s false mirror held up Nature’s light; Showed erring pride, - Whatever is, is right; That reason, passion, answer one great aim; That true self-love and social are the same; That virtue only makes our bliss below; And all our knowledge is, - Ourselves to know.”
It is the best philosophy in poetic version and Every word has immense meaning so deeply around various topics but merely comprehend basics of man and their surroundings.
Intensely and supremely knitted in blossoming beauty of poetry.
Some of Greatest lines - -
"Two principles in human nature reign; Self-love, to urge, and
reason, to restrain; Nor this a good, nor that a bad we call, Each
works its end, to move or govern all: And to their proper operation
still Ascribe all Good, to their imprope"
"Oh fool! to think God hates the worthy mind, The lover and the love of human-kind, Whose life is healthful, and whose conscience clear, Because he wants a thousand pounds a year. Honour and shame from no condition rise; Act well your part, there all the honour lies. "
"Fortune her gifts may variously dispose, And these be happy call’d, unhappy those; But heav’n’s just balance equal will appear, While those are plac’d in hope, and these in fear: Not present good or ill, the joy or curse, But future views of better, or of worse."
"Nor ends the pleasure with the fierce embrace; They love themselves, a third time, in their race. Thus beast and bird their common charge attend The mothers nurse it, and the sires defend; The young dismiss’d to wander earth or air, There stops the instinct, and there ends the care; The link dissolves, each seeks a fresh embrace, Another love succeeds, another race. "
“Together let us beat this ample field, Try what the open, what the covert yield; The latent tracts, the giddy heights explore Of all who blindly creep, or sightless soar; Eye Nature’s walks, shoot folly as it flies, And catch the manners living as they rise; Laugh where we must, be candid where we can; But vindicate the ways of God to man.”
“Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar; Wait the great teacher death; and God adore.”
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.”
“Call imperfection what thou fanciest such, Say, here He gives too little, there too much: Destroy all creatures for thy sport or gust, Yet cry, If man’s unhappy, God’s unjust.”
“All Nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good: And, spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite, One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.”
“Know then thyself, presume not God to scan, The proper study of mankind is man.” “See! and confess, one comfort still must rise, ‘Tis this, - Though man’s a fool, yet God is wise.”
“For forms of government let fools contest; Whate’er is best administered is best: For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight; His can’t be wrong whose life is in the right: In faith and hope the world will disagree, But all mankind’s concern is charity: All must be false that thwart this one great end; And all of God, that bless mankind or mend.”
“The good must merit God’s peculiar care; But who, but God, can tell us who they are? One thinks on Calvin Heaven’s own Spirit fell; Another deems him instrument of hell; If Calvin feel Heaven’s blessing, or its rod, This cries, There is, and that, There is no God.”
“For wit’s false mirror held up Nature’s light; Showed erring pride, - Whatever is, is right; That reason, passion, answer one great aim; That true self-love and social are the same; That virtue only makes our bliss below; And all our knowledge is, - Ourselves to know.”
April 12, 2021
Probably 2.5
The main assumption here is that "All are but parts of one stupenduous Whole, / Whose body Nature is, and God the soul". Being only one ring in a longer chain, man therefore cannot complain about misery, or pride himself in wealth, because the point is the bigger picture, in which "one truth is clear, Whatever is, is right".
Unfortunately, that same God who is the "soul of the stupenduous whole" is rather insensitive to the human condition:
Oh blindness to the future! kindly giv'n,
That each may fill the circle mark'd by Heav'n:
Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,
A hero perish, or a sparrow fall,
Atoms or systems into ruin hul'd,
And now a bubble burst, and now a world." (
The main assumption here is that "All are but parts of one stupenduous Whole, / Whose body Nature is, and God the soul". Being only one ring in a longer chain, man therefore cannot complain about misery, or pride himself in wealth, because the point is the bigger picture, in which "one truth is clear, Whatever is, is right".
Unfortunately, that same God who is the "soul of the stupenduous whole" is rather insensitive to the human condition:
Oh blindness to the future! kindly giv'n,
That each may fill the circle mark'd by Heav'n:
Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,
A hero perish, or a sparrow fall,
Atoms or systems into ruin hul'd,
And now a bubble burst, and now a world." (
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews