One common note on either lyre did strike,
And knaves and fools we both abhorr'd alike
The lyre, an instrument used in ancient Greece and associated with the god Apollo, is frequently used in both classical and modern poetry as a symbol of poetry and wisdom. Here, Dryden speaks about the lyre as a way to describe poetic style: in saying that he and Oldham struck a "common note," he explains that their poetic affinities were similar. The couplet's second line describes a personal rather than artistic tendency, casting both men as clear-eyed judges of character. The couplet as a whole gives the impression that the two men are similar both as poets and as individuals—and indeed, it suggests that the same discerning personality they exhibit in life helps them express wisdom in art.
Thus Nisus fell upon the slippery place,
While his young friend perform'd and won the race.
This is an allusion to the story of two warriors, Nisus and Euryalus, recounted in Virgil's Aeneid. When the two are running in a race, the older and more experienced Nisus slips in a puddle of blood left from a sacrifice. He loses his lead, but deliberately trips the man who is now in the lead so that his friend (or lover; critics have described the relationship in both terms) is able to come in first. In the context of this poem, this might appear to suggest that Oldham, unable to complete his own poetic career, has left the continuation of his legacy to Dryden. It may also hint that experience or an earlier starting point cannot ensure ultimate success. Finally, it seems to suggest a playful mischievousness on Oldham's part.
Thy generous fruits, though gather'd ere their prime
Still show'd a quickness; and maturing time
But mellows what we write to the dull sweets of rhyme.
Despite mourning his friend's early death, the poet still praises and finds comfort in Mr. Oldham's art, arguing that it exhibits cleverness and talent despite the young age of its writer. The enjambment of this couplet's second line creates a moment of ambiguity. At first it appears that Dryden is praising Oldham's poetry for showing maturity. However, the continuation of the sentence on the next line reveals the opposite: Dryden is speculating that maturation might have bleached the vitality from his friend's work.
