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Letitia Elizabeth Landon Quotes
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Letitia Elizabeth Landon was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L.

✵ 14. August 1802 – 15. October 1838
Letitia Elizabeth Landon photo
Letitia Elizabeth Landon: 785   quotes 11   likes

Letitia Elizabeth Landon Quotes

“…that worst bump developed that can adorn the head of a bore--viz., long-story-tellativeness.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

“There was a sculptured form; the feet were placed
Upon a finely-carved rose wreath; the arms
Were raised to Heaven, as if to clasp the stars
EULALIA leant beside; 'twas hard to say
Which was the actual marble: when she spoke,
You started, scarce it seem'd a human sound;
But the eyes' lustre told life linger'd still;
And now the moonlight seem'd to fill their depths.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

A History of the Lyre
The Venetian Bracelet (1829)

Life , Star

“It shock'd me first to see the sun
Shine gladly o'er thy tomb;
To see the wild flowers o'er it run
In such luxuriant bloom.
Now I feel glad that they should keep
A bright sweet watch above thy sleep.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Forgotten One from The Keepsake, 1831 [Probably refers to Letitia’s little sister, Elizabeth]
The Vow of the Peacock (1835)

Feeling , Flowers , Sleep , Sun

“But the passion of jealousy cannot exist without the passion of love, and is like its parent, creative, impetuous, and credulous.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Love , Jealousy , Parent , Passion

“Now
I have no hope that does not dream for thee;
I have no joy that is not shared by thee;
I have no fear that does not dread for thee.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Ancestress (Spoken by Bertha, of Jaromir)
The Venetian Bracelet (1829)

Fear , Dreams , Hope , Joy

“How can they say confiding is relief?
Light are the woes that to the eyelids spring,
Subdued and soften'd by the tears they bring;
But there are some too long, too well conceal'd,
Too deeply felt,—that are but once reveal'd:
Like the withdrawing of the mortal dart,
And then the life-blood follows from the heart;
Sorrow, before unspoken by a sigh,
But which, once spoken, only hath to die.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Neglected One
The Venetian Bracelet (1829)

Life , Confidence , Spring , Tear

“It is a fact not to be disputed, that the aristocracy have not "progressed " in proportion to the other classes. A young nobleman of the present day has not a better education than his ancestor in the time of Elizabeth.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Education , Time

“Ridicule parts social life like an invisible paling; and we are all of us afraid of the other. To this may be in great measure attributed the difference that exists between an author's writings and his conversation. The one is often sad and thoughtful, while the other is lively and careless. The fact is, that the real character is shown in the first instance, and the assumed in the second.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Life , Sadness , Parting

“Sleep, little Paul, what, crying, hush! the night is very dark;
The wolves are near the rampart, the dogs begin to bark;
The bell has rung for slumber, and the guardian angel weeps
When a little child beside the hearth so late a play-time keeps.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Traits and Trials of Early Life (1836), 'The Little Boy's Bed-time' translation from Mdme. Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
Translations, From the French

Dogs , Angels , Sleep , Time

“But who e'er turned from beauty's ray
For fear of future shade;
Or who e'er flung a rose away
Because that rose might fade.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Vow of the Peacock (1835)

Fear , Beauty , Future

“The present! it sinketh with sorrow and care,
That but for the future, it never could bear;
We dwell in its shadow, we see by its light,
And to-day trusts to-morrow, it then will be bright.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Vow of the Peacock (1835)

Light , Future

“A gay temper is like a bright day; true, it may have its faults — a little petulance, a little wilfulness — the flush may be too ready in the cheek, and the flash too prompt in the eye; still these are only trifles to be pardoned, and we like that all the better in which we have something to forgive.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

No.20. The Abbot — CATHERINE SEYTON.
Literary Remains

Forgiveness

“The very sound of his own steps disturbed him; and he flung himself on a couch, to enjoy without interruption the exquisite melody. The intense perfume of the flowers intoxicated him like wine. He felt as if lulled in a delicious trance, in which one image became more and more distinct — the pale but lovely face of his hostess. His heart was filling with love for those radiant eyes. A softer fragrance breathed around him — it was her breath. He looked, and she was again bending over him; he saw himself mirrored in the moonlight of her eyes.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Love , Flowers , Wine , Heart

“Beautiful weakness! oh, if weak,
That woman's heart should tinge her cheek!
'Tis sad to change it for the strength
That heart and cheek must know at length.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Golden Violet - The Queen of Cyprus
The Golden Violet (1827)

Sadness , Beauty , Change , Heart

“The habits of a man accustomed to command — especially on a foreign station, would necessarily be reserved and secluded. Not only accustomed to implicit obedience, but aware of its imperative necessity under the circumstances in which they have been placed, such are apt to expect it from all. Now, what is but the necessary authority in official life, and with man over man, seems harshness when extended to woman.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Literary Remains

Life

“I Give thee, love, a blooming braid;
I cull'd it at eve's 'witching hour;
I twin'd it in the moon's sweet shade,
When starlight dew was on each flower.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Love’s Parting Wreath
The Fate of Adelaide (1821)

Love , Flowers

“Not to have your house burned over your head for a twelvemonth seems an unwonted piece of domestic quiet.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Housing

“The peasant boy, who followed the coloured track of the rainbow, hoping to find the blue and charmed flower which springs where the arch touches earth, is wiser far than one who gives youth, genius, and time to literature.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Heath's book of Beauty, 1833 (1832)

Youth , Hope , Spring , Boy

“The heavy bridge confines your stream,
Through which the barges toil,
Smoke has shut out the sun's glad beam,
Thy waves have caught the soil.
On—on—though weariness it be,
By shoal and barrier cross'd,
Till thou hast reach'd the mighty sea,
And there art wholly lost.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Altered River from The Keepsake, 1829
The Vow of the Peacock (1835)

Art , Sun , Sea

“Come, gentle harp, and let me hold
Communion with thy melody,
And be my tale of sorrow told
To thee, my harp, and only thee.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

(27th September 1823) Extracts from my Pocket Book. Song
The London Literary Gazette, 1823

“What a mistake rage is! anger should never go beyond a sneer, if it really desires revenge.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Heath's book of Beauty, 1833 (1832)

Revenge , Rage , Anger

“It is a curious thing, after years have elapsed, to go back upon the pages of a favourite author. Nothing shows us more forcibly the change that has taken place in ourselves. The book is a mental mirror — the mind starts from its own face, so much freshness, and so much fire has passed away. The colours and the light of youth have gone together. The judgment of the man rarely confirms that of the boy. What was once sweet has become mawkish, and the once exquisite simile appears little more than an ingenious conceit. The sentiment which the heart once beat to applaud has now no answering key-note within, and the real is perpetually militating against the imagined. It is a great triumph to the poet when we return to the volume, and find that our early creed was, after all, the true religion.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Books , Youth , Religion , Imagination

“Everybody has some particular point on which they pique themselves; generally something which ill deserves the pride bestowed upon it.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

“It matters not its history; love has wings
Like lightning, swift and fatal, and it springs
Like a wild flower where it is least expected,
Existing whether cherish'd or rejected;”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

A Girl at her Devotions. By Newton
The Troubadour (1825)

Love , History , Spring , Flowers

“Despair weeps not. Her lip moved as in prayer
Unconsciously; as if prayers had been there,
And they moved now from custom.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Golden Violet - The Child of the Sea
The Golden Violet (1827)

Despair

“November's night is dark and drear,
The dullest month of all the year.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Traits and Trials of Early Life (1836)

Night

“There is one conviction at which, though forced upon us by daily experience, we never arrive, namely, the conviction that Nobody in reality cares for Anybody; but this truth is so cold that we fence it out by all sorts of cloaks and coverings, delusions and devices.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Part 2
Other Gift Books

Truth , Reality

“Love, thou hast hopes like summers, short and bright,
Moments of ecstasy, and maddening dreams,
Intense delicious throbs!”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Basque girl and Henri Quatre from The London Literary Gazette (12th October 1822)
The Improvisatrice (1824)

Love , Dreams , Hope , Summer

“The dream on the pillow,
That flits with the day,
The leaf of the willow
A breath wears away;
The dust on the blossom,
The spray on the sea;
Ay,—ask thine own bosom—
Are emblems of thee.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

(29th March 1823) Song - The dream on the pillow.
The London Literary Gazette, 1823

Dreams , Sea

“Sir Walter Scott was the Luther of literature. He reformed and he regenerated. To say that he founded a new school is not saying the whole truth; for there is something narrow in the idea of a school, and his influence has been universal. Indeed, there is no such thing as a school in literature; each great writer is his own original, and "none but himself can be his parallel." We hear of the school of Dryden and of Pope, but where and what are their imitators? Parnassus is the very reverse of Mont Blanc. There the summit is gained by treading closely in the steps of the guides; but in the first, the height is only to be reached by a pathway of our own. The influence of a genius like Scott's is shown by the fresh and new spirit he pours into literature.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Truth , School , Literature , Idea

“For love is like the breathing wind,
That everywhere may entrance find.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Golden Violet - The Child of the Sea
The Golden Violet (1827)

Love

“Not that we would detract one iota from the benevolence which does exist in humanity; there is both more gratitude and more cause for gratitude than it is the fashion now-a-days to admit: but this we do say, that the obligation is never from those on whom we have a claim. Kindness is always unexpected; and “overcomes us like a summer cloud," exciting our "special wonder" as well as thankfulness.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Heath's book of Beauty, 1833 (1832)

Fashion , Summer , Gratitude

“Blush'd the first blush of coming day,
Faded the fairy band away.
They pass'd and only left behind
A lingering fragrance on the wind,
And on the lake, their haunted home,
One long white wreath of silver foam.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Golden Violet - The Haunted Lake
The Golden Violet (1827)

Home

“Ah, the sweet present! — should it not suffice?
Not to humanity, which vainly tries
To lift the curtain that may never rise!”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

“Wouldst thou know what life should be?
Were it mine but to decree
What its path should be for Thee?
Look upon those sister powers,
Chained, but only chained with flowers, —
That bright group of rose-winged Hours”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

(3rd May 1823) Poetical Catalogue of Paintings - The Hours, by Howard.
The London Literary Gazette, 1823

Life , Flowers , Sister

“We deny that poetry is fiction; its merit and its power lie alike in its truth:”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Monthly Magazine

Truth , Lie

“Alas! alas! too often conscience sleeps,
When pleasure's syren numbers lull its rest.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Canto II, VIII
The Fate of Adelaide (1821)

Pleasure , Sleep

“The Lake was that deep blue, which night
Wears in the zenith moon's full light;
With pebbles shining thro', like gems
Lighting sultana's diadems :”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

(2nd October 1824) The Lake
The London Literary Gazette, 1824

Light , Night

“Who seeing the fair ship
That swept through the bright waves.
Would dream that tyrants trod her deck,
And that her freight was slaves!”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

20th August 1825) The Slave Ship (under the pen name Iole
The London Literary Gazette, 1825

Dreams

“On the horizon is a star,
Its earliest, loveliest one by far;
A blush is yet upon the sky,
As if too beautiful to die,—
A last gleam of the setting sun,
Like hope when love has just begun;”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Golden Violet - The Broken Spell
The Golden Violet (1827)

Love , Beauty , Hope , Star

“O Earth! all bathed with blood and tears, yet never
Hast thou ceased putting forth thy fruit and flowers;
And hast thou then no pity for mankind?
Can thy maternal breast receive again
Their dust, and yet not throb?”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Translations, From the French

Flowers , Tear , Maternity

“Now, a fancy ball is bad enough in London, where milliners are many, and where theatres have costumes that may be borrowed or copied; but in the country, where people are left to their own devices—truly to them may be applied the old poet's account of murderers, "their fancies are all frightful.””

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Heath's book of Beauty, 1833 (1832)

People , Country

“The favourite volume whose reading we commend, is inevitably connected with ourselves — it must bring to our image those lonely hours when the recurrence of an image has such influence — it invests that image with the associations of poetry and fiction, and thus redeems it from the common-place of ordinary life. There is also the sympathy of taste — and how much may be inferred from a passage pencilled originally for no other eyes but our own. Then, too, a book is the prettiest stepping stone to a correspondence; it seems such a simple thing to write a note of thanks, and so natural to add some slight remark on the author; and how often is the criticism of an author's sentiments but the expression of our own!”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Literary Remains

Life , Books , Nature , Reading

“All, lingering, stayed to gaze
Upon this Eden of the painter's art,
And looking on its loveliness, forgot
The crowded world around them!”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

The Improvisatrice (1824)

World , Art

“The advantages of general independence are too obvious for dispute; but it may be regretted that the rich and poor now-a-days live so far apart : they have no amusements in common, and it is the cheerful hours of life past together that most knit the social ties. The hunt in his forest, and the Christmas by his hearth, drew the baron and his people together, each in their most lightsome mood — the gain was mutual.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Literary Remains

Life , People , Mood , Past

“Where is the heart that has not bow'd
A slave, eternal Love, to thee:
Look on the cold, the gay, the proud,
And is there one among them free?”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Canto II
The Troubadour (1825)

Love , Heart

“I never saw more perfect loveliness.
It ask'd, it had no aid from dress: her robe
Was white, and simply gather'd in such folds
As suit a statue: neck and arms were bare;
The black hair was unbound, and like a veil
Hung even to her feet; she held a lute,
And, as she paced the ancient gallery, waked
A few wild chords, and murmur'd low sweet words,
But scarcely audible, as if she thought
Rather than spoke:—the night, the solitude,
Fill'd the young Pythoness with poetry.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

A History of the Lyre
The Venetian Bracelet (1829)

Solitude , Perfection , Night

“Then they were silent: words are little aid
To Love, whose deepest vows are ever made
By the heart's beat alone. Oh, silence is
Love's own peculiar eloquence of bliss!”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Rosalie.
The Improvisatrice (1824)

Love , Silence , Heart