Books · 1712
The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, And heavily in clouds brings on the day, The great, the important day, big with the fate Of Cato and of Rome.
— Joseph Addison ‧ Cato
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker describes a gloomy dawn: clouds hang low, the morning frowns, and daylight arrives heavily. That oppressive weather suits the day it announces, described as great and important and heavy with the fate of Cato and of Rome. Nature seems to darken in step with the stakes.
Context reviewed