This guide examines the first eight stanzas of Andrew Marvell's "Upon Appleton House," a classic "country house" poem—that is, a poem in praise of a noble family's house, and by extension, of the family within. Marvell wrote this poem while he himself lived at Appleton House, where he worked as a tutor for the Fairfax family in the early 1650s (though the poem wasn't widely published until it appeared in the posthumous 1681 collection Miscellaneous Poems). The relatively small and unassuming Appleton reflects well on its architect and on the Fairfax family, the speaker feels. Unlike many country houses, Appleton isn't a vast and echoey temple to its owners' egos, but a place as neatly fitted to its inhabitants as a shell to a tortoise. A house that follows nature's modest pattern, these verses suggest, shows that its owner is humble and wise—and thus reveals that owner's inner greatness.
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The Full Text of “Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)”
1
1Within this sober frame expect
2Work of no foreign Architect,
3That unto caves the quarries drew,
4And forests did to pastures hew;
5Who of his great design in pain
6Did for a model vault his brain,
7Whose columns should so high be rais’d
8To arch the brows that on them gaz’d.
2
9Why should of all things man unrul’d
10Such unproportion’d dwellings build?
11The beasts are by their dens exprest,
12And birds contrive an equal nest;
13The low-roof’d tortoises do dwell
14In cases fit of tortoise-shell:
15No creature loves an empty space;
16Their bodies measure out their place.
3
17But he, superfluously spread,
18Demands more room alive than dead;
19And in his hollow palace goes
20Where winds as he themselves may lose.
21What need of all this marble crust
22T’impark the wanton mote of dust,
23That thinks by breadth the world t’unite
24Though the first builders fail’d in height?
4
25But all things are composed here
26Like nature, orderly and near:
27In which we the dimensions find
28Of what more sober age and mind,
29When larger sized men did stoop
30To enter at a narrow loop;
31As practicing, in doors so straight,
32To strain themselves through Heaven’s Gate.
5
33And surely when the after age
34Shall hither come in pilgrimage,
35These sacred places to adore,
36By Vere and Fairfax trod before,
37Men will dispute how their extent
38Within such dwarfish confines went;
39And some will smile at this, as well
40As Romulus his bee-like cell.
6
41Humility alone designs
42Those short but admirable lines,
43By which, ungirt and unconstrain’d,
44Things greater are in less contain’d.
45Let others vainly strive t’immure
46The circle in the quadrature!
47These holy mathematics can
48In ev’ry figure equal man.
7
49Yet thus the laden house does sweat,
50And scarce endures the Master great,
51But where he comes the swelling hall
52Stirs, and the square grows spherical;
53More by his magnitude distress’d,
54Than he is by its straightness press’d;
55And too officiously it slights
56That in itself which him delights.
8
57So honour better lowness bears,
58Than that unwonted greatness wears.
59Height with a certain grace does bend,
60But low things clownishly ascend.
61And yet what needs there here excuse,
62Where ev’ry thing does answer use?
63Where neatness nothing can condemn,
64Nor pride invent what to contemn?
The Full Text of “Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)”
1
1Within this sober frame expect
2Work of no foreign Architect,
3That unto caves the quarries drew,
4And forests did to pastures hew;
5Who of his great design in pain
6Did for a model vault his brain,
7Whose columns should so high be rais’d
8To arch the brows that on them gaz’d.
2
9Why should of all things man unrul’d
10Such unproportion’d dwellings build?
11The beasts are by their dens exprest,
12And birds contrive an equal nest;
13The low-roof’d tortoises do dwell
14In cases fit of tortoise-shell:
15No creature loves an empty space;
16Their bodies measure out their place.
3
17But he, superfluously spread,
18Demands more room alive than dead;
19And in his hollow palace goes
20Where winds as he themselves may lose.
21What need of all this marble crust
22T’impark the wanton mote of dust,
23That thinks by breadth the world t’unite
24Though the first builders fail’d in height?
4
25But all things are composed here
26Like nature, orderly and near:
27In which we the dimensions find
28Of what more sober age and mind,
29When larger sized men did stoop
30To enter at a narrow loop;
31As practicing, in doors so straight,
32To strain themselves through Heaven’s Gate.
5
33And surely when the after age
34Shall hither come in pilgrimage,
35These sacred places to adore,
36By Vere and Fairfax trod before,
37Men will dispute how their extent
38Within such dwarfish confines went;
39And some will smile at this, as well
40As Romulus his bee-like cell.
6
41Humility alone designs
42Those short but admirable lines,
43By which, ungirt and unconstrain’d,
44Things greater are in less contain’d.
45Let others vainly strive t’immure
46The circle in the quadrature!
47These holy mathematics can
48In ev’ry figure equal man.
7
49Yet thus the laden house does sweat,
50And scarce endures the Master great,
51But where he comes the swelling hall
52Stirs, and the square grows spherical;
53More by his magnitude distress’d,
54Than he is by its straightness press’d;
55And too officiously it slights
56That in itself which him delights.
8
57So honour better lowness bears,
58Than that unwonted greatness wears.
59Height with a certain grace does bend,
60But low things clownishly ascend.
61And yet what needs there here excuse,
62Where ev’ry thing does answer use?
63Where neatness nothing can condemn,
64Nor pride invent what to contemn?
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“Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Summary
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“Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Themes
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Grandiosity vs. Humility
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
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The Elegance of Nature
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)”
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Lines 1-4
Within this sober frame expect
Work of no foreign Architect,
That unto caves the quarries drew,
And forests did to pastures hew; -
Lines 5-8
Who of his great design in pain
Did for a model vault his brain,
Whose columns should so high be rais’d
To arch the brows that on them gaz’d. -
Lines 9-16
Why should of all things man unrul’d
Such unproportion’d dwellings build?
The beasts are by their dens exprest,
And birds contrive an equal nest;
The low-roof’d tortoises do dwell
In cases fit of tortoise-shell:
No creature loves an empty space;
Their bodies measure out their place. -
Lines 17-24
But he, superfluously spread,
Demands more room alive than dead;
And in his hollow palace goes
Where winds as he themselves may lose.
What need of all this marble crust
T’impark the wanton mote of dust,
That thinks by breadth the world t’unite
Though the first builders fail’d in height? -
Lines 25-32
But all things are composed here
Like nature, orderly and near:
In which we the dimensions find
Of what more sober age and mind,
When larger sized men did stoop
To enter at a narrow loop;
As practicing, in doors so straight,
To strain themselves through Heaven’s Gate. -
Lines 33-40
And surely when the after age
Shall hither come in pilgrimage,
These sacred places to adore,
By Vere and Fairfax trod before,
Men will dispute how their extent
Within such dwarfish confines went;
And some will smile at this, as well
As Romulus his bee-like cell. -
Lines 41-48
Humility alone designs
Those short but admirable lines,
By which, ungirt and unconstrain’d,
Things greater are in less contain’d.
Let others vainly strive t’immure
The circle in the quadrature!
These holy mathematics can
In ev’ry figure equal man. -
Lines 49-56
Yet thus the laden house does sweat,
And scarce endures the Master great,
But where he comes the swelling hall
Stirs, and the square grows spherical;
More by his magnitude distress’d,
Than he is by its straightness press’d;
And too officiously it slights
That in itself which him delights. -
Lines 57-64
So honour better lowness bears,
Than that unwonted greatness wears.
Height with a certain grace does bend,
But low things clownishly ascend.
And yet what needs there here excuse,
Where ev’ry thing does answer use?
Where neatness nothing can condemn,
Nor pride invent what to contemn?
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“Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Symbols
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Appleton House
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
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“Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Analogy
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Metaphor
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Imagery
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Allusion
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“Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Sober frame
- Unto caves the quarries drew
- Forests did to pastures hew
- Did for a model vault his brain
- Unrul'd
- Unproportion'd
- Exprest
- Contrive
- Fit
- Superfluously
- T'impark
- Wanton
- The first builders
- Loop
- Straight
- Hither come in pilgrimage
- Vere and Fairfax
- Dispute
- Dwarfish confines
- Romulus
- Ungirt
- T'immure
- The circle in the quadrature
- Scarce
- The square grows spherical
- By its straightness press'd
- Too officiously
- Unwonted
- Ev’ry thing does answer use
- What
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Speaker
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“Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)”
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More “Upon Appleton House (Excerpt)” Resources
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External Resources
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More Upon Appleton House — Learn about the afterlife (and decline) of Appleton House.
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A Brief Biography — Learn more about Marvell's life and work via the Poetry Foundation.
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Marvell's Legacy — Learn more about Marvell's enduring influence in this review of a recent biography.
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Portraits of Marvell — See images of Marvell himself (with skeptical expression and fabulous hair) via London's National Portrait Gallery.
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More on Marvell — Visit the British Library's website to learn more about Marvell's life and times, and to see images of some of his manuscripts.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Andrew Marvell
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