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Thomas Love Peacock

Thomas Love Peacock had published two volumes of poetry when he met Shelley in 1812, after which he made numerous literary acquaintances, most of whom fueled his ironic sensibilities. He left school at

To a Young Lady, Netting

by Thomas Love Peacock (1785–1866)

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16

While those bewitching hands combine,

With matchless grace, the silken line,

They also weave, with gentle art,

Those stronger nets that bind the heart.

But soon all earthly things decay:

That net in time must wear away:

E’en Beauty’s silken meshes gay

No lasting hold can take:

But Beauty, Virtue, Sense, combin’d,

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Poets Book of Days

October 18

Thomas Love Peacock born, 1785

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Poetry Trivia

Question:

In which poem did Gerard Manley Hopkins first use his sprung rhythm?

Answer

In order to avoid the repetitions in running rhythm (or traditional meters), Hopkins drew on older literary traditions like Beowulf for his unmetered but still accentual verse, which he called sprung rhythm. The first poem to use this sprung rhythm is "The Wreck of the Deutschland", written in 1875.

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