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Ah, had I not taken my life up and given All that life…

“Ah, had I not taken my life up and given All that life gives and the years let go, The wind and honey, the balm and leaven, The dreams reared high and the hopes brought low? Come life, come death, not a word be said; Should I lose you living, and vex you dead? I never shall tell you on earth; and…” quote by Algernon Charles Swinburne
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““Ah, had I not taken my life up and given All that life gives and the years let go, The wind and honey, the balm and leaven, The dreams reared high and the hopes brought low? Come life, come death, not a word be said; Should I lose you living, and vex you dead? I never shall tell you on earth; and in heaven, If I cry to you then, will you hear or know?””

Algernon Charles Swinburne

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A meditation on the intertwining of life and death, expressing yearning for unity with both, and questioning the separation between earthly and heavenly realms.

In simple terms: Contemplates life and death as intertwined, seeking unity.

Key Takeaway

Seek harmony between life’s joys and its inevitable end.

Themes

life anddeath union yearning spirituality duality

Mood

melancholic intense contemplative

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal loss
  • spiritual reflection
  • acceptance of mortality
  • seeking peace
  • dialogue with the divine

Key Concepts

romanticism metaphysics existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you reconcile love with loss?
  • What does “coming life, coming death” mean to you?
A Different Perspective

May romanticize death without addressing its pain.

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