Social Commentaries

Riddle: Form'd half beneath, and half above the earth

by Matthew Prior 1664–1721

From The Humorous Poetry of the English Language (ed. James Parton)

Social Commentaries

Form'd half beneath, and half above the earth,
We sisters owe to art our second birth:
The smith's and carpenter's adopted daughters,
Made on the land, to travel on the waters.
Swifter they move, as they are straiter bound,
Yet neither tread the air, or wave, or ground:
They serve the poor for use, the rich for whim,
Sink when it rains, and when it freezes swim.

MLA

Prior, Matthew. “Riddle: Form'd half beneath, and half above the earth.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/prior/43/.

Chicago

Prior, Matthew. “Riddle: Form'd half beneath, and half above the earth.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/prior/43/.

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