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Pabla Posted 14 years ago

a little bit of poetry

What though the spicy breezes
Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle;
Though every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile.

In vain with lavish kindness
The gifts of God are strown;
The heathen in his blindness
Bows down to wood and stone.

Can anybody pls help with these two pieces of poetry from the 19 century? Just need the modern contemporary English vocab.
Thanks a lot.
  

Top answer

"O'er" is "over. Ceylon is Sri Lanka. "Strown" is "strewn".

— Enoon

  • "O'er" is "over.
  • Ceylon is Sri Lanka.
  • "Strown" is "strewn".
  • Everything else is modern English.
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3 Answers
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"O'er" is "over. Ceylon is Sri Lanka. "Strown" is "strewn". Everything else is modern English.
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Thanks a lot, I see your point.
You're right that the individual words ARE modern English but I still miss the point
still I'm not following the meaning of some of the verses.

Let's change the question: Can anybody help me to put it into modern non-poetic English?
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pablaLet's change the question: Can anybody help me to put it into modern non-poetic English?
Let's see you try first. Your English is good.
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