Elegy VI. Anno Aetates undevigesimo.1

by John Milton — a poem card from Justes Mots

In this elegy, the young Milton boasts of his imperviousness to Cupid's darts, only to be struck down by love when encountering a supremely beautiful woman. The poem traces the speaker's transformation from skeptical youth to captive lover through vivid mythological imagery and classical allusions. Milton's treatment blends humor, sensuality, and the inevitability of love's conquest over even the most resistant heart.

As yet a stranger to the gentle fires
That Amathusia's smiling Queen2 inspires,
Not seldom I derided Cupid's darts,
And scorn'd his claim to rule all human hearts.
Go, child, I said, transfix the tim'rous dove,
An easy conquest suits an infant Love;
Enslave the sparrow, for such prize shall be
Sufficient triumph to a Chief like thee;…

Themes: love · new-baby · wedding · friendship