Life a Cheat

John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)



When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat;
Yet, fooled with hope, men favour the deceit;
Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay:
To-morrow's falser than the former day;
Lies worse; and while it says, we shall be blessed
With some new joys, cuts off what we possessed.
Strange cozenage! none would live past years again,
Yet all hope pleasure in what yet remain;
And, from the dregs of life, think to receive
What the first sprightly running could not give.
I'm tired with waiting for this chemic gold,
Which fools us young, and beggars us when old.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 22, 2023

30 sec read
402

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDEFGHH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 544
Words 100
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12

John Dryden

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made Poet Laureate in 1668. more…

All John Dryden poems | John Dryden Books

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