Such was old Chaucer. such the placid mien <br />Of him who first with harmony inform'd <br />The language of our fathers. Here he dwelt <br />For many a cheerful day. these ancient walls <br />Have often heard him, while his legends blithe <br />He sang; of love, or knighthood, or the wiles <br />Of homely life: through each estate and age, <br />The fashions and the follies of the world <br />With cunning hand portraying. Though perchance <br />From Blenheim's towers, o stranger, thou art come <br />Glowing with Churchill's trophies; yet in vain <br />Dost thou applaud them, if thy breast be cold <br />To him, this other hero; who, in times <br />Dark and untaught, began with charming verse <br />To tame the rudeness of his native land.<br /><br />Mark Akenside<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/inscriptions-ii-for-a-statue-of-chaucer-at-woodstock/
