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The Rape of the Lock

Alexander Pope

828 ratings
The Rape of the Lock  | Alexander Pope

The Rape of the Lock

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The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope. The poem satirizes a petty squabble by comparing it to the epic world of the gods.
hair.

Th' advent'rous Baron the bright locks admir'd;
He saw, he wish'd, and to the prize aspir'd.
Resolv'd to win, he meditates the way,
By force to ravish, or by fraud betray;
For when success a Lover's toil attends,
Few ask, if fraud or force attain'd his ends.

For this, ere Phœbus rose, he had implor'd
Propitious heav'n, and ev'ry pow'r ador'd,
But chiefly Love — to Love an Altar built,
Of twelve vast French Romances, neatly gilt.
There lay three garters, half a pair of gloves;
And all the trophies of his former loves;
With tender Billet-doux he lights the pyre,
And breathes three am'rous sighs to raise the fire.
Then prostrate falls, and begs with ardent eyes
Soon to obtain, and long possess the prize:
The pow'rs gave ear, and granted half his pray'r,
The rest, the winds dispers'd in empty air.

But now secure the painted vessel glides,
The sun-beams trembling on the floating tides:
While melting music steals upon the sky,
And soften'd sounds along the waters die;
Smooth flow the waves, the Zephyrs gently play,
Belinda smil'd, and all the world was gay.
All but the Sylph — with careful thoughts opprest,
Th' impending woe sat heavy on his breast.
He summons strait his Denizens of air;
The lucid squadrons round the sails repair:
Soft o'er the shrouds aërial whispers breathe,
That seem'd but Zephyrs to the train beneath.
Some to the sun their insect-wings unfold,
Waft on the breeze, or sink in clouds of gold;
Transparent forms, too fine for mortal sight,
Their fluid bodies half dissolv'd in light,
Loose to the wind their airy garments flew,
Thin glitt'ring textures of the filmy dew,
Dipt in the richest tincture of the skies,
Where light disports in ever-mingling dyes,
While ev'ry beam new transient colours flings,
Colours tha
Alexandros 10/05/2024
A couple of interesting verses:

"What then remains but well our pow'r to use,
And keep good-humour still whate'er we lose?
And trust me, dear! good-humour can prevail,
When airs, and flights, and screams, and scolding fail."

"A perfect Judge will read each work of Wit
With the same spirit that its author
Marte 08/21/2022
The Rape of the Lock was an amazing poem, unfortunately the rest of the poems were a bit too lengthy for my liking, wherein it missed some integral components in terms of cadence.
Jacob 12/31/2021
I like Pope.
Charis 02/14/2021
Sharp response to critics, on the nature of man, energetic writing but with typical rhyme scheme and formatting. Rape of the Lock is a fantastical story of a girl whose lock if hair is cut off and stolen by some men.
Quote of "to err is human, to forgive, divine."
Heather Nicole 05/06/2018
I only read The Rape of the Lock and loved how it was a great mix of wit and beautiful prose.
J.G. Keely 06/09/2009
Compared to the Nineteenth Century's Romantic movement and the Seventeenth's Shakespeare and Milton, the Eighteenth has always felt a veritable void to me. There was a little bit going on in France with Diderot and Voltaire, and some minor British works by Swift and Defoe, but by and large, Eighteen
brook 07/16/2007
oh, my satire class. it may have been painful, but you can't deny the genius of pope's work.

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