John Dryden

A horrid stillness first invades the ear,
And in that silence we the tempest fear.

A horrid stillness first invades the ear,
And in that silence we the tempest fear.

Old as I am, for ladies' love unfit,
The power of beauty I remember yet,
Which once read more

Old as I am, for ladies' love unfit,
The power of beauty I remember yet,
Which once inflam'd my soul, and still inspires my wit.

The monarch oak, the patriarch of the trees,
Shoots rising up, and spreads by slow degrees.
Three read more

The monarch oak, the patriarch of the trees,
Shoots rising up, and spreads by slow degrees.
Three centuries he grows, and three he stays
Supreme in state; and in three more decays.

There is a pleasure, sure,
In being mad, which none but madmen know!

There is a pleasure, sure,
In being mad, which none but madmen know!

But genius must be born, and never can be taught.

But genius must be born, and never can be taught.