The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
Thomas GrayPoetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.
Thomas GrayThe boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave
Awaits alike the inevitable hour:
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Tags: life waste sweetness flower human-potential
Yet, ah! why should they know their fate,
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies?
Thought would destroy their Paradise.
No more;—where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.
Where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.
- Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College
Tags: knowledge nostalgia youth childhood ignorance
Ignorance is bliss
Thomas GrayFull many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air"
A good many flowers bloom and fade away in deserted places, seen by no one.
In its context in Thomas Gray's "Elegy" it is actually a metaphor for common folk who do heroic things that are never reported in the news or recorded in history. Like a precious stone unmined at the bottom of the ocean or a beautiful flower blooming in the deep woods, their work may not be seen or known, but it is nevertheless heroic. Rubies and roses are beautiful, Gray would say, whether anyone ever sees them or not.
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