Rape of the Lock Canto III
Alexander Pope
Close by those Meads for ever crown'd with Flow'rs,
Where Thames with Pride surveys his rising Tow'rs,
There stands a Structure of Majestic Fame,
Which from the neighb'ring Hampton takes its Name.
Her Britain's Statesmen oft the Fall foredoom
Of foreign Tyrants, and of Nymphs at home;
Here Thou, great Anna! whom three Realms obey,
Dost sometimes Counsel take-and sometimes Tea.
Hither the Heroes and the Nymphs resort,
To taste awhile the Pleasures of a Court;
In various Talk th' instructive Hours they past,
Who gave a Ball, or paid the Visit last:
One speaks the Glory of the British Queen,
And one describes a charming Indian Screen;
A third interprets Motions, Looks, and Eyes;
At every Word a Reputation dies.
This is an extract from Pope's wonderful long poem, The Rape of the Lock. You can read the full text here.
Hampton Court was a medieval manor, for a while owned by the Hospitaller order. Under Henry VIII it became the leading palace of the country. Another baroque palace extended the Tudor palace in the time of William and Mary.
