Why learn an ancient language, and exclude Those all to Oxford who couldst not afford, To learn a stale, dead language? Just to read The works of antiquated authors old. For this, our poet asks of dear old English To give him all the best it has to offer, So he can use the best communication To write the stunning poems that can compare To visions of the heavens, and of God! His writing digs as deep as one can go, The great extent of which our poet grasps, Describing things that otherwise beyond The bounds of our imaginations wide! As miners underneath our crusty earth, Great jewels extracted from unheard of depths To crown the heads of common folk untouched By riches until now reserved for kings! The theme of Milton's poem is crystal clear: His love for English is quite obvious. As our poet tells profusely of the ways He benefits from English and its words, Attempting to take on the epic job Of talking of the grandiose, and deep. Our poet supersedes all competition. Near the end, we see more metaphor, As John conjur’d a scene so grand, and pure, That no mere mortal could e’er withstand How otherworldly his words couldst show, The best of all portrayals, like a frame For Milton's favorite form of masterpiece! -Parker
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