The Face That Launch'd A Thousand Ships Poem by Christopher Marlowe
The Face That Launch'd A Thousand Ships
Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships,
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.
Her lips suck forth my soul: see where it flies!
Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again.
Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips,
And all is dross that is not Helena.
I will be Paris, and for love of thee,
Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sack'd;
And I will combat with weak Menelaus,
And wear thy colours on my plumed crest;
Yea, I will wound Achilles in the heel,
And then return to Helen for a kiss.
O, thou art fairer than the evening air
Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars;
Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter
When he appear'd to hapless Semele;
More lovely than the monarch of the sky
In wanton Arethusa's azur'd arms;
And none but thou shalt be my paramour!
I don't really get this one because of the old English. The line Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again is nice and memorable. I like how it shows Helen's power because she is in ownership of his soul.
Much celebrated apostrophe to the gorgeous Helen! Ramesh T A has rightly remarked about the great Marlowe. At a critical moment he makes mephistophilis conjure the spirit of Helen for Faustus' pleasure(in order to dissuade him from repentance) ...the spell is so much powerful that even in the approaching snares of death, his sensuality reaches its heights.The paragon of beauty is the only remedy available for his anguished soul.thank u PH for sharing this piece... :)
Beautifully written wonderful poem in support of love by great Christopher Marlowe! It is a classic immortal for all to read and enjoy till the end of time! Long live Paris and Helen in literature to enlighten the readers about the value of love, beauty and truth in the world all have to cherish for the upliftment of humanity forever!
The story of helen of troy....wow i like it alot.. this is also my favorite story about the iiresitable helen and her lover paris! ! This poem really captures the essance of how helen was so irresitable!
Moreover, this poem provides some clues of his taking black magic.
............beautiful lines ★ O, thou art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars;
Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Unparalleled lines of sheer grandeur and splendor and a poem of unparalleled beauty. Great! Great! Great!
Compare this to Edgar Allan Poe's To Helen. Here is the voice of a genuine poet. Poe's Helen is one of his best creations, but is light years away from this in the quality of language and the height of achievement.
In a way i think he is smitten by the Helen of Troy legend but then i think he is comparing his own paramour who he feels is much more beautiful than Helen.. I have no idea if there are any Greek vases with Helen's picture on it but to love someone as much as this poet does well alright it's his torment..
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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11/30/2024 4:31:08 AM # 1.0.0
Two people have got this wrong so I'll say it. It isn't Paris talking, it's Faustus. This is an extract from the play 'Doctor Faustus', one of the most famous plays of the Elizabethan era which wasn't written by Shakespeare.