User:Jinny Holder

Rough winter melts beneath the breeze of spring, Nor shun refitted ships the silenced sea, Nor man nor beasts to folds or firesides cling, Nor hoar frosts whiten over field and tree; But rising moons each balmy evening, see In merry dances tripping o'er the lea; While Vulcan makes his roaring furnace shine, And bids his Cyclops arms in sinewy strength combine.

Now let us, cheerful, crown our heads with flowers, Spring's first fruit, offered to the newborn year, And sacrifice beneath the budding bowers, A lam, or kid as Faunus may prefer: But - pallid Death, an equal visitor, Knocks at the poor man's hut, the monaarch's tower; And the few years we have to linger here Forbid vain dreams of happiness and power, Beyond what man can crowd into life's fleeting hour.

Soon shall the night that knows on morning come, And the dim shades that haunt the eternal shore; And Pluto's shadowy kingdom of the tomb. Where Thee the well thrown dice may never more Make monarch, while thy friends the wine cup pour; Where never thou mayest woo fair Lycidas, Whose loveliness our ardent youth adore: Whose faultless limbs all other forms surpass, And, lost amid whos beams, unseen all others pass.

Annotation of poem: The beginning of the poem (the first line of stanza 1) begins with a negative - "Rough winter". He goes on to suggest that the "warmth" of Spring can melt away winter sorrows and the good season begins once again. Patrick suggests that nothing can destroy the Spring "peace", for example: "Nor man nor beasts to folds or firesides cling". the season is full or strength and new life. His poem is to Sestius (Odes of Horace) - suggesting that he turns negatives into positives? His poetry, alike to Patricks's is usually about celebrations, for example hyms, praises of wines, etc. The second stanza related to religion. It sort of reminds you about the story of Jesus turning water into wine and the story of the lamb be sacrificed. Here Patrick is praising and welcoming the new season of birth and decorating themselves with Gods creations - flowers for example. At the end he shows his feeling towards life - live life to the full whilst on the planet, not all have a lot of time - death is amoung you - you never know when the time will come. The final stanza Patrick refers to philosophy - Plato's theories/beliefs. He talks about the aging of people - your youth disappears and your limbs become weak - time passes by so quickly.