Sir John Denham

Poet, 1615-1669

Cited as Denham. — 81 quotations

Apparel

Fresh in his new apparel, proud and young.

Calmly

The gentle stream which calmly flows.

Calmness

The gentle calmness of the flood.

Carouse

Guests carouse the sparkling tears of the rich grape.

Causeless

My fears are causeless and ungrounded.

Clash

Clashes between popes and kings.

Clear

The stream is so transparent, pure, and clear.

Commiserate

Then must we those, who groan, beneath the weight Of age, disease, or want, commiserate.

Compass

How can you hope to compass your designs?

Conscience

The sweetest cordial we receive, at last, Is conscience of our virtuous actions past.

Contemplative

Fixed and contemplative their looks.

Convivial

Which feasts convivial meetings we did name.

Copy

I have not the vanity to think my copy equal to the original.

Curb

By these men, religion,that should be The curb, is made the spur of tyranny.

Disesteem

But if this sacred gift you disesteem.

Dive

The Curtii bravely dived the gulf of fame.

Door

To the same end, men several paths may tread, As many doors into one temple lead.

Drag

Dragged by the cords which through his feet were thrust.

Effect

No other in effect than what it seems.

Embrace

Low at his feet a spacious plain is placed, Between the mountain and the stream embraced.

Essential

Judgment's more essential to a general Than courage.

Fall

They thy fall conspire.

Fare

So fares the stag among the enraged hounds.

Fluent

With most fluent utterance.

For

For he writes not for money, nor for praise.

Foreigner

Joy is such a foreigner, So mere a stranger to my thoughts.

Foreshow

Next, like Aurora, Spenser rose, Whose purple blush the day foreshows.

Gape

The hungry grave for her due tribute gapes.

Gem

From the joints of thy prolific stem A swelling knot is raised called a gem.

Goblet

We love not loaded boards and goblets crowned.

Haul

Some dance, some haul the rope.

Heel

He [the stag] calls to mind his strength and then his speed, His winged heels and then his armed head.

Himself

With shame remembers, while himself was one Of the same herd, himself the same had done.

Idol

The soldier's god and people's idol.

Ignorant

Did I for this take pains to teach Our zealous ignorants to preach?

Immaculate

Were but my soul as pure From other guilt as that, Heaven did not hold One more immaculate.

Improve

I love not to improve the honor of the living by impairing that of the dead.

Infuse

That strong Circean liquor cease to infuse.

Labyrinth

I' the maze and winding labyrinths o' the world.

League

And let there be 'Twixt us and them no league, nor amity.

Liberality

That liberality is but cast away Which makes us borrow what we can not pay.

Medium

I must bring together All these extremes; and must remove all mediums.

Meliorate

Nature by art we nobly meliorate.

Neglect

Age breeds neglect in all.

Plea

No plea must serve; 't is cruelty to spare.

Prosperous

A happy passage and a prosperous wind.

Reprieve

All that I ask is but a short reprieve, ll I forget to love, and learn to grieve.

Repulse

By fate repelled, and with repulses tired.

Respite

Some pause and respite only I require.

Resume

The sun, like this, from which our sight we have, Gazed on too long, resumes the light he gave.

Retrench

Thy exuberant parts retrench.

Rigor

All his rigor is turned to grief and pity.

Ripeness

Time, which made them their fame outlive, To Cowley scarce did ripeness give.

Shadow

Night's sable shadows from the ocean rise.

Shape

To the stream, when neither friends, nor force, Nor speed nor art avail, he shapes his course.

Shine

Let thine eyes shine forth in their full luster.

Singular

So singular a sadness Must have a cause as strange as the effect.

Sobriety

Mirth makes them not mad, Nor sobriety sad.

Somebody

We must draw in somebody that may stand 'Twixt us and danger.

Stem

[They] stem the flood with their erected breasts.

Stir

Why all these words, this clamor, and this stir?

Stock

Thy mother was no goddess, nor thy stock From Dardanus.

Store

Wise Plato said the world with men was stored.

Strain

He talks and plays with Fatima, but his mirth Is forced and strained.

Stray

Thames among the wanton valleys strays.

Strive

Now private pity strove with public hate, Reason with rage, and eloquence with fate.

Substantial

If happinessbe a substantial good.

Superstruction

My own profession hath taught me not to erect new superstructions upon an old ruin.

Suspend

The guard nor fights nor fies; their fate so near At once suspends their courage and their fear.

Suspense

Ten days the prophet in suspense remained.

Their

Nothing but the name of zeal appears 'Twixt our best actions and the worst of theirs.

To

Wisdom he has, and to his wisdom, courage.

Toil

As a Numidian lion, when first caught, Endures the toil that holds him.

Top

But wind about till thou hast topped the hill.

Trace

That servile path thou nobly dost decline, Of tracing word, and line by line.

Trust

Reward them well, if they observe their trust.

Turn

His turn will come to laugh at you again.

Untie

They quicken sloth, perplexities untie.

Wall

The terror of his name that walls us in.

Weed

Too much manuring filled that field with weeds.

Well-natured

Well-natured, temperate, and wise.