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Poem
August 4, 1787
Independent Journal, Or, The General Advertiser
New York, New York County, New York
What is this article about?
An ode using the metaphor of a garden's sudden blight to depict how evil company corrupts a once-virtuous youth, transforming his promising life into ruin.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
EVIL COMPANY:
An ODE.
THE Garden breath'd a sweet perfume,
And all was beauty, all was bloom;
The orient Sun unclouded shone,
And Flora's gayest robes were on;
Health was convey'd on every breeze;
The richest blooms cloth'd the trees;
Hope sprung to think, that Autumn's store
Would crown whate'er appear'd before;
When sudden woe a killing eastern blast,
Wind, lo! the golden prospect all at once was past.
See you that youth, whose happier days
Inspir'd each gen'rous mind with praise;
Whom careful Culture's prudent hand
Had taught his passions to command;
Whose manners spoke a gentle heart,
Beyond the reach of modern art?
Where'er in those blest years he came,
He still excited Friendship's flame:
Each candid eye beheld him with delight,
When Folly's noxious air produc'd a fatal Blight!
Written after a sudden blight.
An ODE.
THE Garden breath'd a sweet perfume,
And all was beauty, all was bloom;
The orient Sun unclouded shone,
And Flora's gayest robes were on;
Health was convey'd on every breeze;
The richest blooms cloth'd the trees;
Hope sprung to think, that Autumn's store
Would crown whate'er appear'd before;
When sudden woe a killing eastern blast,
Wind, lo! the golden prospect all at once was past.
See you that youth, whose happier days
Inspir'd each gen'rous mind with praise;
Whom careful Culture's prudent hand
Had taught his passions to command;
Whose manners spoke a gentle heart,
Beyond the reach of modern art?
Where'er in those blest years he came,
He still excited Friendship's flame:
Each candid eye beheld him with delight,
When Folly's noxious air produc'd a fatal Blight!
Written after a sudden blight.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Nature Seasons
What keywords are associated?
Evil Company
Garden Blight
Youth Corruption
Moral Ode
Virtue Warning
Poem Details
Title
Evil Company: An Ode.
Subject
On The Corruption Of Youth By Evil Company
Key Lines
When Sudden Woe A Killing Eastern Blast,
Wind, Lo! The Golden Prospect All At Once Was Past.
When Folly's Noxious Air Produc'd A Fatal Blight!