A Poem by Ben Jonson
Post 1 of 3
(on my short list of favorites)
It is Not Growing Like a Tree
by Benjamin Jonson (1572 - 1637)
It is not growing like a tree in bulk doth make Man better be;
Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere [means "dry"]:
A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night -
It was the plant and flower of light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.
The heart of the idea might say that our great and profound philosophical quests exploring the universe for beauty and truth -- they fade and are lost in the sands of time. Yet the truth of beauty, and the beauty of truth, we can find in the innocence of a flower.
It is Not Growing Like a Tree
by Benjamin Jonson (1572 - 1637)
It is not growing like a tree in bulk doth make Man better be;
Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere [means "dry"]:
A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night -
It was the plant and flower of light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.
The heart of the idea might say that our great and profound philosophical quests exploring the universe for beauty and truth -- they fade and are lost in the sands of time. Yet the truth of beauty, and the beauty of truth, we can find in the innocence of a flower.
18 Jul 2007 13:12
Post 2 of 3
Replying to [Professor Carl]: It's an educational poem, I will reserve and recite it.![[em1]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_smile.gif)
21 Jul 2007 02:09
Post 3 of 3
Replying to [Professor Carl]:
HaHa, Professor Carl, thanks for your posting.![[em17]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_shake_hands.gif)
HaHa, Professor Carl, thanks for your posting.
26 Jul 2007 18:37
Page 1 of 1