The Shortness Of Life
Francis Quarles 1592 (Romford) – 1644
And what's a life? A weary pilgrimage,
Whose glory in one day doth fill the stage
With childhood, manhood, and decrepit age.
And what's a life? The flourishing array
Of the proud summer-meadow, which to-day
Wears her green plush, and is to-morrow hay.
Read on this dial, how the shades devour
My short-lived winter's day! hour eats up the hour;
Alas! the total's but from eight to four.
Behold these lilies, which Thy hands have made
Fair copies of my life, and open laid
To view, how soon they droop, how soon they fade!
Shade not that dial, night will blind too soon;
My nonaged day already points to noon;
How simple is my suit! how small my boon!
Nor do I beg this slender inch to wile
The time away, or falsely to beguile
My thoughts with joy: here's nothing worth a smile.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 141 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAA BBB CCX DDD EEE FFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 770 |
Words | 146 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 |
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"The Shortness Of Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13865/the-shortness-of-life>.
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