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Who lets slip fortune, her shall never find: Occasion once past by, is bald behind.

Abraham Cowley

Hope! fortune’s cheating lottery; when for one prize an hundred blanks there be!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cheating Fortune Hope Hundred Prize
The getting out of doors is the greatest part of the journey.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Door Getting Greatest Journey Part
Vain, weak-built isthmus, which dost proudly rise Up between two eternities!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Build Eternity Isthmus Life Proudly Two
The present is all the ready money Fate can give.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Fate Giving Money Present Ready
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
In fields d’or or d’argent; but, if heraldry were guided by reason, a plough in a field arable would be the most noble and ancient arms.”
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Ancient Field Guided Heraldry Noble Plough Reason
I would not fear nor wish my fate, but boldly say each night, to-morrow let my sun his beams display, or in clouds hide them; I have lived today.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cloud Display Fate Fear Morrow Night Wish
I might be master at last of a small house and a large garden, with very moderate conveniences joined to them, and there dedicate the remainder of my life to the culture of them and the study of nature.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Covetousness Desire House Master Moderate Small Strong
The monster London laugh at me.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Laugh Laughing London Monster
Nature waits upon thee still, And thy verdant cup does fill; ‘Tis fill’d wherever thou dost tread, Nature’s self’s thy Ganymede.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cup Dost Ganymede Nature Self Thee Tread Upon Verdant Wait
Enjoy the present hour, Be thankful for the past, And neither fear nor wish Th’ approaches of the last.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Approach Being Enjoy Last Past Thankful Time
Beauty, thou wild fantastic ape Who dost in every country change thy shape!
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Ape Beauty Country Fantastic Shape Shapes Wild
Come, my best Friends! my Books! and lead me on.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Best Book Come Friend Leading
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
I never had any other desire so strong, and so like covetousness, as that
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Covetousness Desire House Life Master Nature Small Strong
Books should, not Business, entertain the Light; And Sleep, as undisturb’d as Death, the Night.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Book Business Death Entertain Light Night Sleep
The world’s a scene of changes.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Change Nature Scene World
Man is too near all kinds of beasts,–a fawning dog, a roaring lion, a thieving fox, a robbing wolf, a dissembling crocodile, a treacherous decoy, and a rapacious vulture.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Beast Crocodile Dissembling Dog Fawning Man Roaring Robbing Thieving
When Harvey’s violent passion she did see, Began to tremble and to flee; Took sanctuary, like Daphne, in a tree
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Daphne Flee Harvey Passion Sanctuary Tree Tremble Violent
Much will always wanting be To him who much desires.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Always Desire Much Want
Why to mute fish should’st thou thyself discoverAnd not to me, thy no less silent lover?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Discover Less Lover Mute Silent Thyself
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
A mighty pain to love it is, And ’tis a pain that pain to miss; But, of all pains, the greatest pain Is to love, but love in vain.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Fear Kindly Least Life Love May might Pain Treat
To be a husbandman, is but a retreat from the city; to be a philosopher, from the world; or rather, a retreat from the world, as it is man’s, into the world, as it is God’s.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

City Husbandman Man Philosopher Retreat World
Why dost thou heap up wealth, which thou must quit, Or what is worse, be left by it? Why dost thou load thyself when thou ‘rt to fly, Oh, man! ordain’d to die?
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Art Dost Heap Left Lying Man Wealth Worse
Ah! Wretched and too solitary he who loves not his own company.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Company Life Solitary Wretched
Fill the bowl with rosy wine, around our temples roses twine, And let us cheerfully awhile, like wine and roses, smile.
ABRAHAM COWLEY

Cheerful Rose Smile Temple Twine Wine

Who lets slip fortune, her shall never find: Occasion once past by, is bald behind.

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Who lets slip fortune, her shall never find: Occasion once past by, is bald behind.

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