“Before the beginning of years
There came to the making of man
Time with a gift of tears”
Second chorus, lines 1-12.
Atalanta in Calydon (1865)
Context: Before the beginning of years
There came to the making of man
Time with a gift of tears,
Grief with a glass that ran,
Pleasure with pain for leaven,
Summer with flowers that fell,
Remembrance fallen from heaven,
And Madness risen from hell,
Strength without hands to smite,
Love that endures for a breath;
Night, the shadow of light,
And Life, the shadow of death.
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Algernon Charles Swinburne87
English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic 1837–1909Related quotes
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Misattributed
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