Now, as in Tullia’s tomb one lamp burnt clear Unchanged…
““Now, as in Tullia’s tomb one lamp burnt clear Unchanged for fifteen hundred year, May these love-lamps we here enshrine In warmth, light, lasting, equal the divine. Fire ever doth aspire, And makes all like itself, turns all to fire, But ends in ashes; which these cannot do, For none of these is fuel, but fire too. This is joy’s bonfire, then, where love’s strong arts Make of so noble individual parts One fire of four inflaming eyes, and of two loving hearts. JOHN DONNE: Eclogue for the Marriage of the Earl of Somerset.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Love endures like a fire that never consumes, uniting hearts and eyes in lasting warmth.
In simple terms: Love is an enduring, unburnt fire.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate love that sustains without burning out.
Themes
love
eternity
unity
Mood
hopeful
reflective
Type
poetic
inspirational
When to use this quote
- relationships
- marriage
- personal devotion
Key Concepts
poetry
metaphor
spirituality
Questions to Reflect On
- Can love be both fire and ash?
- How does love avoid destruction?