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
wisdom truth fool
Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, and fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.
ridiculous foolish folly
The folly of others is ever most ridiculous to those who are themselves most foolish.
fool praying
And fools who came to scoff remain'd to pray.
thinking fool world
No one but a fool would measure their satisfaction by what the world thinks of it.
came fools-and-foolishness remained
And fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.
fond pursue
Too fond of the right to pursue the expedient.
subject winds
Is he like Burke, who winds into a subject like a serpent?
guarded requires scarcely sentinel virtue worth
The virtue which requires to be ever guarded is scarcely worth the sentinel
absurdity champion defend error talkative
Every absurdity has a champion to defend it, for error is always talkative
children endearing followed good share
Even children followed with endearing wile,/ And plucked his gown, to share the good man's smile.
aims far heart house known learned raise relieved skilled wretched
Far other aims his heart had learned to prize, / More skilled to raise the wretched than to rise. / His house was known to all the vagrant train, / He chid their wanderings, but relieved their pain.
defiance eye human lords pass pride
Pride in their port, defiance in their eye I see the Lords of human kind pass by.
copy improve model people seldom themselves
People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after
beside fence
Beside yon straggling fence that skirts the way, / With blossomed furze unprofitably gay.