He who hath bent him o'er the dead Ere the first day of death is fled,- The first dark day of nothingness, The last of danger and distress, Before decay's effacing fingers Have swept the lines where beauty lingers.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Facing death early spares one from later darkness; decay eventually erases all beauty.
- In plain terms
- Early confrontation with death avoids later fear.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept mortality to lessen later dread.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does confronting death change daily life?
- What remains beautiful as things decay?
Another view
Some find meaning in later years despite decay.
More from Lord Byron
Hark! to the hurried question of despair: 'Where is my child?'-an echo answers, 'Where?'
Permalink to quote #64 Such is the aspect of this shore; 'T is Greece, but living Greece no more! So coldly sweet, so deadly fair, We start, for soul is wanting there.
Permalink to quote #66 Mark! where his carnage and his conquests cease! He makes a solitude, and calls it - peace!
Permalink to quote #63
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