So beautiful, so brave, as Absalom:
This excerpt is from John Dryden's 'Absalom and Achitophel,' a satirical poem that uses the Biblical story of Absalom's rebellion against King David to comment on the political situation in England during the Exclusion Crisis. The poem is written in heroic couplets, a popular form during the Restoration period. In these lines, Dryden describes Absalom as both beautiful and brave, suggesting that his qualities might have been divinely inspired or that his destiny was so significant that it influenced his very conception. The poem uses Absalom's story as an allegory for contemporary political figures and events, particularly focusing on King Charles II and the political tensions of the time.
| Word | In English | Plain (English) | Pron. |
|---|---|---|---|
| brave | courageous | showing courage | brayv |
| inspir'd | inspired | filled with a feeling or thought | in-spy-erd |
| diviner | more divine | more god-like or spiritual | di-vy-ner |
| lust | desire | a very strong desire | lust |
| gust | enthusiasm | a burst of enthusiasm | gust |
| conscious | aware | aware of something | kon-shus |
| destiny | fate | the events that will happen to a person | des-ti-nee |
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England. He was appointed England's first Poet Laureate in 1668.
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