The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain, The…
““The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain, The ploughman lost his sweat; and the green corn Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard: The fold stands empty in the drownèd field, And crows are fatted with the murrion flock; The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud; And the quaint mazes in the wanton green, For lack of tread, are undistinguishable: The human mortals want their winter here; No night is now with hymn or carol blest:— Therefore the moon, the governess of floods, Pale in her anger, washes all the air, That rheumatic diseases do abound: And thorough this distemperature we see The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts Fall in the fresh lap of the crimson rose; And on old Hyem's thin and icy crown An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer, The childing autumn, angry winter, change Their wonted liveries; and the maz'd world, By their increase, now knows not which is which: And this same progeny of evils comes””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A poetic lament on the futility of human labor and the chaotic cycles of nature, reflecting on mortality and disorder.
In simple terms: Human effort wasted as nature changes.
Key Takeaway
Accept life's impermanence.
Themes
mortality
nature
futility
chaos
Mood
melancholic
contemplative
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- agricultural labor
- seasonal change
- war aftermath
- personal loss
Key Concepts
existentialism
ecology
philosophy of work
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you find order in chaos?
- What does “the moon, the governess of floods” suggest?
A Different Perspective
The dense metaphor may obscure practical meaning for modern readers.