Come fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring Your…
““Come fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring Your Winter-garment of repentance fling: The bird of Time has but a little way To flutter—and the Bird is on the Wing. "A Book of Verses underneath the Bough, A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread—and Thou Beside me singing in the Wilderness— Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow. "Ah, my Beloved, fill the Cup that clears To-day of past Regrets and future Fears: To-morrow!—Why, To-morrow I may be Myself with Yesterday's Sev'n thousand Years. "I sent my soul through the Invisible, Some letter of that After-life to spell: And by and by my Soul return'd to me, And answer'd, "I myself am Heav'n and Hell: "Heav'n but the vision of fulfill'd Desire, And Hell the Shadow of a Soul on Fire, Cast on the Darkness into which Ourselves, So late emerged from, shall so soon expire.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The poem urges seizing the present, letting go of past regrets and future fears, and embracing the fleeting nature of time with joy and companionship.
In simple terms: Live now, release regrets, cherish the moment.
Embrace the present fully.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- celebrations
- personal reflection
- rituals
- creative expression
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you release past regrets?
- What does “the bird on the wing” symbolize for you?
The metaphor of time as a bird may oversimplify complex emotional processes.