|
|
Evensong.
By Robert Herrick
Begin with Jove; then is the work half done,
And runs most smoothly when 'tis well begun.
Jove's is the first and last: the morn's his due,
The midst is thine; but Jove's the evening too;
As sure a matins does to him belong,
So sure he lays claim to the evensong.
Extra Info:
Then is the work half done. As Dr. Grosart suggests, Herrick may have had in mind the "Dimidium facti qui c[oe]pit habet" of Horace, I. Epist. ii. 40. But here the emphasis is on beginning well, there on beginning.
Begin with Jove is doubtless from the "Ab Jove principium, Musę," of Virg. Ecl. iii. 60.
|
|
Printable Page
Add Your Thoughts on this poem.
This page viewed 442 times.
|
|
