Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowleywas an English poet born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his Works published between 1668 and 1721...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
past opportunity fortune
Who lets slip fortune, her shall never find: Occasion once past by, is bald behind.
bible aeneas land
Does not the passage of Moses and the Israelites into the Holy Land yield incomparably more poetic variety than the voyages of Ulysses or Aeneas?
nice heart men
It is a hard and nice subject for a man to speak of himself: it grates his own heart to say anything of disparagement, and the reader's ear to hear anything of praise from him.
strong hands stones
Nay, in death's hand, the grape-stone proves As strong as thunder is in Jove's.
brave solitude privilege
What a brave privilege is it to be free from all contentions, from all envying or being envied, from receiving or paying all kinds of ceremonies!
eye bravery world
All the world's bravery that delights our eyes is but thy several liveries.
sorrow wish may
To-day is ours; what do we fear? To-day is ours; we have it here. Let's treat it kindly, that it may Wish, at least, with us to stay. Let's banish business, banish sorrow; To the gods belong to-morrow.
art lying men
Why dost thou heap up wealth, which thou must quit, Or what is worse, be left by it? Why dost thou load thyself when thou 'rt to fly, Oh, man! ordain'd to die? Why dost thou build up stately rooms on high, Thou who art under ground to lie? Thou sow'st and plantest, but no fruit must see, For death, alas! is reaping thee.
world dull noise
All this world's noise appears to me a dull, ill-acted comedy!
lying fiction fables
Unbind the charms that in slight fables lie and teach that truth is truest poesy.
country sleep humble
Sleep is a god too proud to wait in palaces, and yet so humble too as not to scorn the meanest country cottages.
wine rose temples
Fill the bowl with rosy wine, around our temples roses twine, And let us cheerfully awhile, like wine and roses, smile.
world scene
The world's a scene of changes.
smell rose reason
Who that has reason, and his smell, Would not among roses and jasmin dwell?