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Before The Temple

Topics: classic

I.     All desolate she sate her down     Upon the marble of the temple's stair.     You would have thought her, with her eyes of brown,     Flushed cheeks and hazel hair,     A dryad dreaming there. II.     A priest of Bacchus passed, nor stopped     To chide her; deeming her whose chiton hid     But half her bosom, and whose girdle dropped     Some grief-drowned Bassarid,     The god of wine had chid. III.     With wreaths of woodland cyclamen     For Dian's shrine, a shepherdess drew near,     All her young thoughts on vestal beauty, when     She dare not look for fear     Behold the goddess here! IV.     Fierce lights on shields of bossy brass     And helms of gold, next from the hills deploy     Tall youths of Argos. And she sees him pass,     Flushed with heroic joy,     On towards the siege of Troy.

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This evocative piece by Madison Julius Cawein, titled "Before The Temple", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

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