John Dryden (Absalom & Achitophel)..your help please!

[Mhd shaher]

Hi my friends and members..
Iam studying the literature of English and I need your help to analyze this poem for me because the exams are imminent..

this poems is 97 lines..
you can expalin line by line or couple by couple.. as one want or can..
and I will be so thankful to every one give me this favour..

The line are:

In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin,
Before polygamy was made a sin;
When man on many multiplied his kind,
Ere one to one was cursedly confined;
When nature prompted, and no law denied, [5]
Promiscuous use of concubine and bride;
Then Israel's monarchafter heaven's own heart,
His vigorous warmth did variously impart
To wives and slaves; and, wide as his command,
Scattered his Maker's image through the land. [10]
Michal,of royal blood, the crown did wear,
A soil ungrateful to the tiller's care:
Not so the rest; for several mothers bore
To godlike David several sons before.
But since like slaves his bed they did ascend, [15]
No true succession could their seed attend.
Of all the numerous progeny was none
So beautiful, so brave, as Absalon;
Whether inspired by some diviner lust,
His father got him with a greater gust; [20]
Or that his conscious destiny made way,
By manly beauty, to imperial sway.
Early in foreign fields he won renown,
With kings and states, allied to Israel's crown;
In peace the thoughts of war he could remove, [25]
And seemed as he were only born for love.
Whate'er he did, was done with so much ease,
In him alone 'twas natural to please;
His motions all accompanied with grace,
And paradise was opened in his face. [30]
With secret joy indulgent David viewed
His youthful image in his son renewed;
To all his wishes nothing he denied,
And made the charming Annabel his bride.
What faults he had, — for who from faults is free? [35]
His father could not, or he would not see.
Some warm excesses, which the law forbore,
Were construed youth that purged by boiling o'er;
And Amnon's murder, by a specious name,
Was called a just revenge for injured fame. [40]
Thus praised and loved, the noble youth remained,
While David undisturbed in Sion reigned.
But life can never be sincerely blest;
Heaven punishes the bad, and proves the best.
The Jews, a headstrong, moody, murmuring race, [45]
As ever tried the extent and stretch of grace;
God's pampered people, whom, debauched with ease,
No king could govern, nor no God could please;
Gods they had tried of every shape and size,
That godsmiths could produce, or priests devise; [50]
These Adam-wits, too fortunately free,
Began to dream they wanted liberty:
And when no rule, no precedent was found,
Of men, by laws less circumscribed and bound;
They led their wild desires to woods and caves, [55]
And thought that all but savages were slaves.
They who, when Saul was dead, without a blow,
Made foolish Ishbosheth the crown forego;
Who banished David did from Hebron bring,
And with a general shout proclaimed him king; [60]
Those very Jews, who at their very best,
Their humour more than loyalty exprest,
Now wondered why so long they had obeyed
An idol monarch, which their hands had made;
Thought they might ruin him they could create, [65]
Or melt him to that golden calf, — a State.
But these were random bolts; no formed design,
Nor interest made the factious crowd to join:
The sober part of Israel, free from stain,
Well knew the value of a peaceful reign; [70]
And, looking backward with a wise affright,
Saw seams of wounds dishonest to the sight;
In contemplation of whose ugly scars,
They curst the memory of civil wars.
The moderate sort of men, thus qualified, [75]
Inclined the balance to the better side;
And David's mildness managed it so well,
The bad found no occasion to rebel.
But when to sin our biassed nature leans,
The careful devil is still at hand with means, [80]
And providently pimps for ill desires;
The good old cause, revived, a plot requires.
Plots, true or false, are necessary things,
To raise up commonwealths, and ruin kings.
The inhabitants of old Jerusalem [85]
Were Jebusites; the town so called from them;
And theirs the native right.—
But when the chosen people grew more strong,
The rightful cause at length became the wrong;
And every loss the men of Jebus bore, [90]
They still were thought God's enemies the more.
Thus worn or weakened, well or ill content,
Submit they must to David's government;
Impoverished and deprived of all command,
Their taxes doubled as they lost their land; [95]
And, what was harder yet to flesh and blood,
Their gods disgraced, and burnt like common wood.

[Soup]

In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin,
=> In religious times, before the priesthood began

Before polygamy was made a sin;
=> and before the time when having more than one wife/husband was a sin

When man on many multiplied his kind,
=> when a man had children by more than one female mate

Ere one to one was cursedly confined;
Before marriage was instituted/law

When nature prompted, and no law denied,
=> When the law was to follow one's natural instincts

Promiscuous use of concubine and bride;
=> men had both girlfriend/lover and wife

[Mhd shaher]

Thank you soup..
you are so useful..
I appreciate this so much..
Can you keep on?..
If you can't no problem..I don't want to overtire you..
your explaination is so simpe and so useful..


Best Wishes

[Raymott]

Then Israel's monarchafter heaven's own heart,
Then, the King of Israel (David), following the ways of heaven (or nature)
His vigorous warmth did variously impart
To wives and slaves; and, wide as his command,
Scattered his Maker's image through the land. [10]
had sex with many wives and slaves; and since his Kingdom was widespread, David’s image (and God’s, since Jewish/Christian belief is that Man is made in the image of God. Remember that Dryden is a satirist) was scattered throughout the Kingdom.
Michal, of royal blood, the crown did wear,
A soil ungrateful to the tiller's care:
Michal, although he wore the crown (was a Prince - ?heir to David)
Was not good material for making into a king.
Not so the rest; for several mothers bore
To godlike David several sons before.
Some of the others were, however, because several of David’s wives bore sons different from Michal.
But since like slaves his bed they did ascend, [15]
No true succession could their seed attend.
But because these better-qualified sons were born illegitimate, they could not become true successors of David, as king.
Of all the numerous progeny was none
So beautiful, so brave, as Absalon;
Absolon was the most handsome and brave of David’s many children
Whether inspired by some diviner lust,
His father got him with a greater gust; [20]
Whether his conception was divinely-inspired or not, David begot Absolon with a greater enthusiasm.
Or that his conscious destiny made way,
By manly beauty, to imperial sway.
Or perhaps Absolon had a conscious plan for power, and influenced David’s favour by his manliness
Early in foreign fields he won renown,
With kings and states, allied to Israel's crown;
Absolon became famous fighting in wars in foreign place, impressing the States allied to Israel
In peace the thoughts of war he could remove, [25]
And seemed as he were only born for love.
During peacetime, he could forget about war, and turn to love, which he then seemed born for.
Whate'er he did, was done with so much ease,
In him alone 'twas natural to please;
His motions all accompanied with grace,
And paradise was opened in his face. [30]
Whatever he did was so easy for him. He was graceful and pleasing to others; his face mirrored paradise.
With secret joy indulgent David viewed
His youthful image in his son renewed;
David viewed Absolon with joy, seeing in him David’s own self reborn
To all his wishes nothing he denied,
And made the charming Annabel his bride.
David denied Absolon nothing, and gave him the charming Annabel for a bride.
What faults he had, — for who from faults is free? [35]
His father could not, or he would not see.
Those faults he had – and who is fault-free? – David couldn’t or wouldn’t see.
Some warm excesses, which the law forbore,
Were construed youth that purged by boiling o'er;
Some of Absolon’s heated actions that were against the law were contrued by David as being merely the “boiling over” (excess) of youth.
And Amnon's murder, by a specious name,
Was called a just revenge for injured fame. [40]
And Amnon’s murder (by Absolon), for example, was deemed to be a just revenge for Amnon’s slander.

[Mhd shaher]

Thank you very much Raymott..
I am so happy..
This is the real cooperation..
I am very thankful Mr.Raymott..
And who can keep on poeple..
it's just few lines and I will finish studying this poem..