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Poem
May 20, 1812
Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political
Alexandria, Virginia
What is this article about?
The poem uses a delayed spring as a metaphor for slow personal moral growth, encouraging resilience against life's challenges to yield virtuous fruits in old age, like fruitful trees after storms.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
The Backward Spring moralized
YES 'tis in truth a backward Spring,
I join the general cry;
Yet backward as it is, I fear
As backward full am I.
Time unperceiv'd still onward tends,
Nor shall the seasons fail.
Spring, tho' delay'd for wisest ends,
Shall still at last prevail.
More fruit, and fruit more gen'rous too,
The ling'ring year may bring
But what advantage can accrue
From ling'ring moral Spring?
This if repress'd, it moves but slow,
So fate itself decreed,
Drops buds that never more shall grow.
What'er its future speed.
Let me then brave the storms of life,
To these superior still,
Secure, how fierce so'er the strife,
To conquer if I will.
My life, for yielding better fruit,
Let Fortune's rage prepare,
As trees, when tempests shake the root,
With most profusion bear.
When Winter comes the sterile year,
The bursting flow'r denies;
From life, tho' age's snows appear,
Fair Virtue's fruits may rise.
These let me bear, if age be mine,
In age not vainly gay,
But fruitful as the southern vine,
While florid as the bay.
YES 'tis in truth a backward Spring,
I join the general cry;
Yet backward as it is, I fear
As backward full am I.
Time unperceiv'd still onward tends,
Nor shall the seasons fail.
Spring, tho' delay'd for wisest ends,
Shall still at last prevail.
More fruit, and fruit more gen'rous too,
The ling'ring year may bring
But what advantage can accrue
From ling'ring moral Spring?
This if repress'd, it moves but slow,
So fate itself decreed,
Drops buds that never more shall grow.
What'er its future speed.
Let me then brave the storms of life,
To these superior still,
Secure, how fierce so'er the strife,
To conquer if I will.
My life, for yielding better fruit,
Let Fortune's rage prepare,
As trees, when tempests shake the root,
With most profusion bear.
When Winter comes the sterile year,
The bursting flow'r denies;
From life, tho' age's snows appear,
Fair Virtue's fruits may rise.
These let me bear, if age be mine,
In age not vainly gay,
But fruitful as the southern vine,
While florid as the bay.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Nature Seasons
What keywords are associated?
Backward Spring
Moral Spring
Seasons Metaphor
Virtue Fruits
Life Storms
Poem Details
Title
The Backward Spring Moralized
Subject
Moralized On The Backward Spring
Form / Style
Rhymed Couplets
Key Lines
Yes 'Tis In Truth A Backward Spring,
I Join The General Cry;
Yet Backward As It Is, I Fear
As Backward Full Am I.
Let Me Then Brave The Storms Of Life,
To These Superior Still,
Secure, How Fierce So'er The Strife,
To Conquer If I Will.
These Let Me Bear, If Age Be Mine,
In Age Not Vainly Gay,
But Fruitful As The Southern Vine,
While Florid As The Bay.