With spots quadrangular of diamond form, Ensanguined hearts, clubs typical of strife, And spades, the emblems of untimely graves.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Cowper describes playing cards using metaphors linking them to violence, emotion, and death.
- In plain terms
- Card suits represent fighting, love, conflict, and burial.
- What can you take from it?
- Even games can mirror serious parts of life.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do games reveal about us?
- Are symbols intentional or random?
Another view
Not every card game intends deep meaning.
More from William Cowper
O Winter, ruler of the inverted year!
Permalink to quote #83 Silently as a dream the fabric rose - No sound of hammer or of saw was there.
Permalink to quote #85 'Tis pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat, To peep at such a world; to see the stir Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd.
Permalink to quote #82
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