Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
William BlakeRead
How have you left the ancient love That bards of old enjoyed in you! The languid strings do scarcely move! The sound is forced, the notes are few!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses nostalgia for a profound, timeless love that has faded away.
In this quote, William Blake laments the loss of a deep and ancient love, suggesting that the love once celebrated by poets and bards has diminished in intensity for him. The imagery of the 'languid strings' and the 'forced' sound evokes a sense of melancholy, indicating that the current expression of love is lacking the richness and vibrancy that it used to possess.
Themes
LoveNostalgiaMelancholyEmotionMusic
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at a wedding, one might reference this quote to illustrate the beauty and depth of enduring love.
More from William Blake
All quotes βIn seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
William BlakeRead
O thou who passest through our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! Thou, O Summer, Oft pitchest here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.
William BlakeRead
Every Night and every Morn Some to Misery are born. Every Morn and every Night Some are born to Sweet Delight, Some are born to Endless Night.
William BlakeRead
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
William BlakeRead
He who would do good to another must do it in minute particulars.
William BlakeRead
Similar quotes
I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, βLove one another as I have loved you.β Ask yourself βHow has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?β Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery.
Mother TeresaRead
Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it; let's do it, let's fall in love.
Cole PorterRead
Being in love, she concluded, is simply a presentation of our pasts to another individual, mostly packages so unwieldy that we can no longer manage the loosened strings alone.
Zelda FitzgeraldRead
Love is a smoke rais'd with the fume of sighs; being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears; what is it else? A madness most discreet, a choking gall, and a preserving sweet.
William ShakespeareRead
The Law of Wonder rules my life at last, _x000D_ ...I burn each second of my life to Love _x000D_ Each second of my life burns out in Love _x000D_ In each leaping second Love lives afresh.
RumiRead
[My mother] always said I was beautiful and I finally believed her at some point.
Lupita Nyong'ORead