Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmithwas an Irish novelist, playwright and poet, who is best known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield, his pastoral poem The Deserted Village, and his plays The Good-Natur'd Manand She Stoops to Conquer. He is thought to have written the classic children's tale The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth10 November 1730
CountryIreland
battle fights rise runs
For he that fights and runs away, may live to fight another day, but he, who is in battle slain, can never rise and fight again.
best gave ignorance innocence labor life light spread wealth wholesome
For him light labor spread her wholesome store, Just gave what life required, but gave no more: His best companions, innocence and health; And his best riches, ignorance of wealth
experience govern toil
For just experience tells, in every soil, That those who think must govern those who toil
good help mother perfectly qualified
That's a good girl. I find you are perfectly qualified for making converts, and so go help your mother to make the gooseberry-pie.
felicity ourselves
Still to ourselves in every place consigned, / Our own felicity we make or find.
bashful glance looks
The bashful virgin's side-long looks of love,/ The matron's glance that would those looks reprove.
game good royal rules twelve
The twelve good rules, the royal game of goose.
laugh loud spoke vacant voice whispering
The watch-dog's voice that bayed the whispering wind, / And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
beneath sweet
Sweet as the primrose peeps beneath the thorn.
dangerous
It's a damned long, boggy, dirty, dangerous way.
irish-poet men rich rule
Law grinds the poor, and rich men rule the law.
amusing book dull numerous single
A book may be amusing with numerous errors, or it may be very dull without a single absurdity.
brows cap instead night stocking
A night-cap decked his brows instead of bay, / A cap by night - a stocking all the day!
abide disappoint
As for disappointing them, I should not so much mind; but I can't abide to disappoint myself.