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A Singing Lesson

By Algernon Charles Swinburne

Topics: classic

Far-fetched and dear-bought, as the proverb rehearses,     Is good, or was held so, for ladies:    but nought     In a song can be good if the turn of the verse is     Far-fetched and dear-bought.     As the turn of a wave should it sound, and the thought     Ring smooth, and as light as the spray that disperses     Be the gleam of the words for the garb thereof wrought.     Let the soul in it shine through the sound as it pierces     Men's hearts with possession of music unsought;     For the bounties of song are no jealous god's mercies,     Far-fetched and dear-bought.

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"Far-fetched and dear-bought, as the proverb rehearses,..."

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Author:Algernon Charles Swinburne

"Far-fetched and dear-bought, as the proverb rehear..." by Algernon Charles Swinburne

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Algernon Charles Swinburne

About Algernon Charles Swinburne

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909) was an English poet known for metrical innovation and bold themes. His "Atalanta in Calydon" and "Poems and Ballads" challenged Victorian conventions with their musical intensity and controversial subject matter.

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