SECTION III. THE TASK. COWPER'S Task is a Medley. It consists of six books of admirable blank verse-in which all the main aspects of English life, as it existed in the last century, are brought under review. The good and the true in it are commended; while the vices of the age are lashed with some of the very keenest satire that was ever penned. The principal charm of the whole consists in the truthful simplicity of its description both of nature and domestic life; and the moral earnestness which it displays in dealing with the most important social questions. The first book of The Task, which is here given entire, will be found admirably adapted in style for analysis-in sentiment for paraphrasing. The notes appended, and the indications in the text, will assist the student in both. BOOK I.-THE SOFA. 1 I SING the Sofa. | I) who lately sang Truth, Hope, and Charity, and touched with awe 2. Truth, Hope, and Charity, the titles of three didactic poems of Cowper. 3. And with a trembling hand-Adverbial qualification to touched. The 4. Escaped, i.e., having escaped. Auxiliary Participle is very rarely omitted in the Participle Perf. Act. of Intransitive Verbs (as, for instance, Goldsmith's Deserted Village, 309, if to the city sped). Cowper has followed the example of Milton, Paradise Lost, iii. 14, escaped the Stygian pool. 4. Adventurous flight. Poets rise above the level of ordinary men. Compare Milton's Paradise Lost, iii. 13, Thee (holy light) I revisit now with bolder wing, Escaped the Stygian pool, while in my flight, Through utter and through middle dark ness borne, I sung of chaos and eternal night. I. 13. My adventurous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar VII. 3. Above the Olympian hill I soar, Above the flight of Pegasean wing. The construction is,-I (who lately sang Truth, Hope, and Charity, and touched the chords with awe and with a trembling hand), having escaped with pain from that adventurous flight, now seek repose upon an hum. bler theme. 5 Now seek repose upon an humbler theme ;) Time was, when clothing sumptuous or for use, Washed by the sea, or on the gravelly bank 6. The theme though humble, yet august and proud the occasion-an elliptical expression, which is easily completed by the addition of the Auxiliary Verbs. 7. The fair. When the Adjective is used Lubstantively, it is either the Singular Number of the Neuter Gender, or the Plural of the Masculine, as, Sofa, 332, Communicative of the good he owns; line 396, Not such the alert and active; line 493, The innocent are gay. In the Masc. Sing. we only use Adj. as proper names, e.g., the Almighty. But Cowper by no means always adheres to this general rule. It can hardly be called a license, if he uses the Adj. in the plural as a feminine noun, as lines 73 and 460. But he makes it a masculine noun of the singular, line 89, The nurse sleeps sweetly, hired to watch the sick; and in the passage under consideration, as also in line 472, he actually makes the Adj. a noun Singular Feminine. 8. Clothing sumptuous or for use. Clothing is qualified by the Adj. sumptuous, and by the Preposit. phrase for use, which takes the place of another adjective, useful; such Preposit. phrases, which represent Adjectives, always follow the noun they qualify. 9. Save their own painted skins-This does not bear a strictly logical examination, for 12. Roaring loud-the expression is much weakened by the position of this attribute. 15. Strength. The abstract substantive is very frequently substituted for the concrete by poets, from Homer downwards.Sofa, line 389. 16. Those barbarous ages past. This participial construction, corresponding in use with the Latin Ablat. absolute, is rather frequent in Cowper, Milton, and other English poets, who have endeavoured to imitate in English the complicated and involved periods of their classical models. 16. Succeeded next. This inversion was formerly more common than now. It is a strict rule in German to place the predicate before the subject whenever the sentence is headed by some adverbial qualification, or any word bearing more directly upon the Pred. than the Subj. 17. Weak, dull, and clumsy-Attributes to Invention. Dull in design, and clumsy to perform. Joint-stools were then created; on three legs And swayed the sceptre of his infant realms ;] 25 May still be seen, but perforated sore And drilled in holes the solid oak is found, Improved the simple plan; made three legs four,] 30 Gave them a twisted form vermicular,] And o'er the seat with plenteous wadding stuffed Now came the cane from India, smooth and bright 18. To perform-Used like the Latin gerund, equivalent to, clumsy in performing. 19. Created-A pompous word, chosen to suit the comico-grotesque narrative. 20. Upborne (Gr. 78 d.) on three legsFirm, for firmly. Three legs... roundIs a mere repetition, and has no further syntactical connexion in the sentence. 24. Such-Demonstrative adjective used as a pronoun (Gr. 14, Remark). 25. Perforated, and drilled in holes, a tautological expression, which is not re lieved by eating through and through. For their syntax, see Gr. 76, Remark 1. 29. Made... four-Gr. 76, 1. 33. Of tapestry-Attrib. to cover. Richly wrought, and woven close, are Attributes to tapestry. 34. Needlework sublime-Attrib. to cover. 40. Severed is not a simple Attrib. to cane, but a Nom. absolute. Being severed into stripes, these stripes supplied, &c. 44. Restless-Giving (not having) no rest. 45 Distressed the weary loins, | that felt no ease; | That pressed it, and the feet hung dangling down, These for the rich ;] the rest,) whom fate had placed 50 In modest mediocrity, content With base materials, sat on well-tanned hides 55 If cushion might be called,] what harder seemed In Albion's happy isle. The lumber stood And some ascribe the invention to a priest 65 Receding wide, they pressed against the ribs, | Taught the raised shoulders to invade the ears.] 47. Dangling down—Gr. 78, d. 49. These, sc. chairs, Pred. were. 53. With here and there a tuft... or crewel in the cushion fixed, equal to having a tuft or crewel fixed-Attributive phrase to hides. 55. If that could be called cushion, which, &c. 56. Firm, frame, formed-an intended Alliteration. 58. Happy-The adjective must be taken in a most specific sense. Happy because of the abundance of timber. 59. Ponderous and fixed-Gr. 78, d. 60. These an alderman contrived-Subst. Sent. to some say, with that omitted. 63. Burly and big-Alliteration. 64. With easy slope-Adjunct to receding. 64-67. The effect of these lines is very comic after the preceding lines, "the alderman, studious of his EASE." 66. Elevated high-Complement to Subj. they. 68. Or e'er-Or is a corruption of ere; or e'er is, therefore, before ever. 69. Though introduces two adverbial sentences, with they were understood. 70 And ill at ease behind. | The ladies first Than when employed to accommodate the fair,] So sit two kings of Brentford on one throne ;| 80 Close packed and smiling, in a chaise and one. | By soft recumbency of outstretched limbs, The nurse sleeps sweetly, hired to watch the sick,| 90 Whom snoring she disturbs. | As sweetly he] 71. 'Gan murmur, i.e., began to murmur; the to being omitted by a poetical license. Became-Impersonal verb with it, understood for Subj. 73. [It is] employed. 75. The order is-It, united, yet divided, twain at once, received one elbow at each end, and an elbow in the midst. 78. Two kings of Brentford. Allusion to an old custom of chairing mock-kings at Brentford. 83. After slow, supply is; after hard, is it 90. [By] snoring-After he supply sleeps. 93. His legs depending-Gr. 78, Observations. 96. And sweet, scil. sleep-The ellipse is hard, and unusual. |