quote · Legacy record
Lean not on earth; ’t will pierce thee to the heart: A broken reed at best, but oft a spear: On its sharp point peace bleeds, and hope expires. There’s nothing here but what as nothing weighs; The more our joy, the more we know it vain; And by success are tutored to despair. Nor is it only thus, but must be so. Who knows not this, though grey, is still a child; Loose then from earth the grasp of fond desire, Weigh anchor, and some happier clime explore.
Lean not on earth; ’t will pierce thee to the heart: A broken reed at best, but oft a spear: On its sharp point peace bleeds, and hope expires. There’s nothing here but what as nothing weighs; The more our joy, the more we know it vain; And by success are tutored to despair. Nor is it only thus, but must be so. Who knows not this, though grey, is still a child; Loose then from earth the grasp of fond desire, Weigh anchor, and some happier clime explore.
In print by 1888 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
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Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Young (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
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- In print by 1888 AD · industrial
In print by 1888: recorded in A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888). 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
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 194 · printed citation: Young · subject: EARTH
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.