black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise, He who defers this work from day to day, Does on a river’s bank expecting stay

Abraham Cowley

Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise, He who defers this work from day to day, Does on a river’s bank expecting stay
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Bank Day Expecting Running Time Wise
The motions strait, and round, and swift, and slow, And short and long, were mixt and woven so, Did in such artful Figures smoothly fall, As made this decent measur’d dance of all. And this is Musick.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Artful Figure Mixt Motion Slow Strait Swift Woven
:Though so exalted sheAnd I so lowly beTell her, such different notes make all thy harmony.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Exalted Harmony Make Note Tell Woman
It is a hard and nice subject for a man to speak of himself: it grates his own heart to say anything of disparagement, and the reader’s ear to hear anything of praise from him.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Disparagement Hard Heart Man Nice Speak Subject
The liberty of a private man, in being master of his own time and actions, as far as may consist with the laws of God and of his country.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Action God Governed Law Life Made Man Own Private Time
Vain, weak-built isthmus, which dost proudly rise Up between two eternities!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Build Eternity Isthmus Life Proudly Two
This only grant me, that my means may lie, too low for envy, for contempt to high.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Contempt Envy Grant High Lying Mean
Fill all the Glasses there; for why Should every Creature Drink but I? Why, Man of Morals, tell me why?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Creature Drink Every Glass Man Moral Tell
But what is woman? Only one of nature’s agreeable blunders.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Agree Blunder Nature Woman
Thus would I double my life’s fading space;For he that runs it well, runs twice his race.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Fading Race Running Space Twice
The liberty of a people consists in being governed by laws which they have made themselves, under whatsoever form it be of government
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Consist Country Law Man Themselves
Hope is the most hopeless thing of all.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Believe Hope Hopeless Thing
This a scene of changes, and to be constant in Nature were inconstancy.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Change Constant Nature Scene
Ah, yet, e’er I descend to th’ grave, May I a small House and a large Garden have. And a few Friends, and many Books both true
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Angel Book Descend Few Friend Garden Grave House Small Wise
May I a small house and large garden have; And a few friends, And many books, both true.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Book Friend Garden House Large Small True
Plenty, as well as Want, can separate friends.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Friend Plenty Separate Want Well

Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise, He who defers this work from day to day, Does on a river’s bank expecting stay

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise, He who defers this work from day to day, Does on a river’s bank expecting stay

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Abraham Cowley Quotes