quote · Legacy record
Our hearts ne’er bow but to superior worth, Nor ever fail of their allegiance there; Fools, indeed, drop the man in their account, And vote the mantle into majesty. Shall man be proud to wear his livery, And souls in ermine scorn a soul without? Can place or lessen us, or aggrandise? Pigmies are pigmies still, though perched on hills, And pyramids are pyramids in vales; Each man makes his own stature, builds himself: Virtue alone outlives the pyramids; Her monuments shall last when Egypt’s fall.
Our hearts ne’er bow but to superior worth, Nor ever fail of their allegiance there; Fools, indeed, drop the man in their account, And vote the mantle into majesty. Shall man be proud to wear his livery, And souls in ermine scorn a soul without? Can place or lessen us, or aggrandise? Pigmies are pigmies still, though perched on hills, And pyramids are pyramids in vales; Each man makes his own stature, builds himself: Virtue alone outlives the pyramids; Her monuments shall last when Egypt’s fall.
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 643 · printed citation: Young · subject: VIRTUE
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.