quote · Legacy record
An idle poet, here and there, Looks round him; but, for all the rest, The world, unfathomably fair, Is duller than a witling’s jest. Love wakes men, once a life-time each; They lift their heavy heads and look; And, lo, what one sweet page can teach They read with joy, then shut the book. And some give thanks, and some blaspheme, And most forget: but, either way, That, and the Child’s unheeded dream, Is all the light of all their day.
An idle poet, here and there, Looks round him; but, for all the rest, The world, unfathomably fair, Is duller than a witling’s jest. Love wakes men, once a life-time each; They lift their heavy heads and look; And, lo, what one sweet page can teach They read with joy, then shut the book. And some give thanks, and some blaspheme, And most forget: but, either way, That, and the Child’s unheeded dream, Is all the light of all their day.
In print by 1921 AD · modern
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Coventry Patmore (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1921 AD · modern
In print by 1921: recorded in My Commonplace Book (third English edition,1921). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- My Commonplace Book (third English edition,1921) (1921 AD)
Page 147 · printed citation: Coventry Patmore (1823-1896). · compiler notes excluded
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.