quote · Legacy record
The grief of mind is that intestine war That stirs sedition in the state of man; Where, when our passions once commanding are, Our peaceful days are desperate, for then The stir’s more hot than when it first began; For heady passion ’s like an untamed beast, That riots most when we desire it least. This violence exceeds his virtuous mien, Like swelling tides that overcome their shore, Leaving the awful current of their stream, And break their banks that bounded them before; Yet grief in his great violence is more; For if that reason bound not grief with laws, In our destruction grief will be the cause.
The grief of mind is that intestine war That stirs sedition in the state of man; Where, when our passions once commanding are, Our peaceful days are desperate, for then The stir’s more hot than when it first began; For heady passion ’s like an untamed beast, That riots most when we desire it least. This violence exceeds his virtuous mien, Like swelling tides that overcome their shore, Leaving the awful current of their stream, And break their banks that bounded them before; Yet grief in his great violence is more; For if that reason bound not grief with laws, In our destruction grief will be the cause.
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
- Christopher Lever (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- 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 641 · printed citation: Christopher Lever · subject: VIOLENCE
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.