quarkstomper 1224822973|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » Rape Of The Lock
Yeah. It was a poem by the 18th Century English poet Alexander Pope parodying classical epics. In Pope's version, a rascal snips a lock of hair from a beautiful lady, ignoring a firestorm of angst and strife in the Court.
Of course, Alexander Pope isn't exactly well-known in America either. Heck, I'm not even sure which century he lived in and I'm the guy who brought him up!
Wait. No. He was definitely 18th century, because he wrote a famous couplet about Sir Isaac Newton. (Pope specialized in heroic couplets):
Nature and Nature's Laws lay hidden in night;
God said: "Let Newton be!" and all was light.
To which a 20th Century wag penned the following sequel:
It didn't last long; the Devil said, "Ho!
Let Einstein be!" And restored the status quo!
Another of Pope's couplets adorned the collar of the dog which the King of England kept as a pet at his palace at the Kew Gardens:
I am His Majesty's dog at Kew;
And may I ask, whose dog are you?
