---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the…"
description: "\"Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath;/ We have drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fullness of death\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/algernon-charles-swinburne-291_conquered_thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the_776099.jpg"
---

#  Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown…

![“Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath;/ We have drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fullness of death” quote by Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/algernon-charles-swinburne-291_conquered_thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the_776099.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/algernon-charles-swinburne-291_conquered_thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the_776099.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/algernon-charles-swinburne-291_conquered_thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the_776099.jpg)

> “Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath;/ We have drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fullness of death”

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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.

The speaker reflects on the profound, possibly fatal, impact of a lover’s presence, turning life into a haunting, death‑laden experience.

**In simple terms:** A lover’s breath makes life feel dark and deadly.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how powerful intimacy can be.

Themes

love death obsession

Mood

melancholic intense

Type

poetic dramatic

When to use this quote

- relationships
- artistic inspiration
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Romanticism nihilism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does love change your perception of life?
- Do you ever feel love is overwhelming?

A Different Perspective

The intensity may be exaggerated or romanticized.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Fullness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fullness/) [Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grey/) [Heathen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heathen/) [Pagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pagan/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-swinburne/thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the-world-has-grown-grey-from-thy-2/)

Algernon Swinburne

> [Thou has conquered, O pale Galilean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/thou-has-conquered-o-pale-galilean/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [Tis no extravagant arithmetic to say, that for every ten jokes, thou hast got an hundred enemies; and till thou hast gone on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/tis-no-extravagant-arithmetic-to-say-that-for-every-ten-jokes-thou/)

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

> [When peace like a river, attendeth my way / When sorrow like sea billows roll / Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-spafford/when-peace-like-a-river-attendeth-my-way-when-sorrow-like-sea-billows/)

Horatio Spafford

> [“Thou hast come into being by the toil; the work of the gods thou art the way of holy order. With the Vasus, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aparna-sinha/thou-hast-come-into-being-by-the-toil-the-work-of-the-gods-thou-art/)

Aparna Sinha

> [O LORD, THOU HAST GUARDED ME AS A CHILD,THOU HAS TAKEN AWAY FROM ME THE LOVE OF THIS WORLD, THOU HAST GIVEN ME THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/o-lord-thou-hast-guarded-me-as-a-child-thou-has-taken-away-from-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Present, the Present is all thou hast For thy sure possessing; Like the patriarch's angel hold it fast Till it gives its blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/the-present-the-present-is-all-thou-hast-for-thy-sure-possessing-like/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/thou-hast-shewed-thy-people-hard-things-thou-hast-made-us-to-drink/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/the-lord-hath-sworn-by-his-right-hand-and-by-the-arm-of-his-strength/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [“The Friends Thou Hast And Their Adoption Tried Grapple Them To Thy Soul With Hooks Of Steel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-friends-thou-hast-and-their-adoption-tried-grapple-them-to-thy-2/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-thou-hast-eaten-and-art-full-then-thou-shalt-bless-the-lord-thy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. . .thou understandest my thought afar off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rongione/o-lord-thou-hast-searched-me-and-known-me-thou-understandest-my/)

[Dana Rongione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-rongione/)

> [And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-saith-unto-him-every-man-at-the-beginning-doth-set-forth-good/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [Thou shouldst not decide until thou hast heard what both have to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/thou-shouldst-not-decide-until-thou-hast-heard-what-both-have-to-say/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [Sum up at night what thou hast done by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/sum-up-at-night-what-thou-hast-done-by-day/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

## More by Algernon Charles Swinburne

> [I shall sleep, and move with the moving ships, Change as the winds change, veer in the tide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/i-shall-sleep-and-move-with-the-moving-ships-change-as-the-winds/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [Marvellous mercies and infinite love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/marvellous-mercies-and-infinite-love/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [She knows not loves that kissed her She knows not where. Art thou the ghost, my sister, White sister there, Am I the ghost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/she-knows-not-loves-that-kissed-her-she-knows-not-where-art-thou-the/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [A little soul scarce fledged for earth Takes wing with heaven again for goal, Even while we hailed as fresh from birth A little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/a-little-soul-scarce-fledged-for-earth-takes-wing-with-heaven-again/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [While three men hold together, the kingdoms are less by three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/while-three-men-hold-together-the-kingdoms-are-less-by-three/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [Body and spirit are twins: God only knows which is which.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/body-and-spirit-are-twins-god-only-knows-which-is-which/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [Fruits fail and love dies and time ranges;Thou art fed with perpetual breath, and alive after infinite changes,And fresh from the kisses of death,Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/fruits-fail-and-love-dies-and-time-ranges-thou-art-fed-with-perpetual/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [“As the dawn loves the sunlight that must cease Ere dawn again may rise and pass in peace; Must die that she being dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/as-the-dawn-loves-the-sunlight-that-must-cease-ere-dawn-again-may/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [There is no safety-net to protect against attraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/there-is-no-safety-net-to-protect-against-attraction/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [Sorrow, on wing through the world for ever, Here and there for awhile would borrow Rest, if rest might haply deliver Sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/sorrow-on-wing-through-the-world-for-ever-here-and-there-for-awhile/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [“Love, that is first and last of all things made, The light that has the living world for shade, The spirit that for temporal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/love-that-is-first-and-last-of-all-things-made-the-light-that-has-the/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [His life is a watch or a vision Between a sleep and a sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/his-life-is-a-watch-or-a-vision-between-a-sleep-and-a-sleep/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [“The half-brained creature to whom books are other than living things may see with the eyes of a bat and draw with the fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/the-half-brained-creature-to-whom-books-are-other-than-living-things/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [The highest spiritual quality, the noblest property of mind a man can have, is this of loyalty ... a man with no loyalty in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/the-highest-spiritual-quality-the-noblest-property-of-mind-a-man-can/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [To wipe off the froth of falsehood from the foaming lips of inebriated virtue, when fresh from the sexless orgies of morality and reeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/to-wipe-off-the-froth-of-falsehood-from-the-foaming-lips-of/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

[Explore all 145 Algernon Charles Swinburne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

## More Conquered quotes

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/)

[Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/)

> [“We were thinking, we have conquered time but, ‘HE’ replied in 2020.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/we-were-thinking-we-have-conquered-time-but-he-replied-in-2020/)

[Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/)

> [My honour was not yielded, but conquered merely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleopatra/my-honour-was-not-yielded-but-conquered-merely/)

[Cleopatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleopatra/)

> [The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-coubertin/the-essential-thing-is-not-to-have-conquered-but-to-have-fought-well/)

[Pierre de Coubertin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-coubertin/)

> [Of course, mankind would not have landed on the Moon in 1969, were it not for two things: conquered Nazi rocket technology and post-war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duke/of-course-mankind-would-not-have-landed-on-the-moon-in-1969-were-it/)

[Charles Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duke/)

> [I came, I saw, I conquered From record sales to sold out concerts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/i-came-i-saw-i-conquered-from-record-sales-to-sold-out-concerts/)

[Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/)

> [Like us many have spoken over this spring, but they were gone in the twinkling of an eye. We conquered the world with bravery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babur/like-us-many-have-spoken-over-this-spring-but-they-were-gone-in-the/)

Babur

> [“Life was terrible. It was as though they could understand, as though they could read in one another’s eyes, that the power which had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/life-was-terrible-it-was-as-though-they-could-understand-as-though/)

[Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/)

> [When the enemies' land force is once conquered and expelled from the continent, our Marine will rise as if by enchantment and become, within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-jones/when-the-enemies-land-force-is-once-conquered-and-expelled-from-the/)

[John Paul Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-jones/)

> [Do not ever go back to that from which decided to leave. As much as you did not ask, and how would you not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/do-not-ever-go-back-to-that-from-which-decided-to-leave-as-much-as/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [Addiction is rarely conquered alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/addiction-is-rarely-conquered-alone/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [“Boy, there are people who conquered half the world, slaughtered whole populations, wiped cultures off the face of the planet, and you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-maberry/boy-there-are-people-who-conquered-half-the-world-slaughtered-whole/)

[Jonathan Maberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-maberry/)

> [A nation is not conquered which is perpetually to be conquered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-nation-is-not-conquered-which-is-perpetually-to-be-conquered/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Only through time time is conquered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-through-time-time-is-conquered/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 256 Conquered quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath;/ We have drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fullness of death",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Algernon Charles Swinburne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the-world-has-grown-grey-from-thy/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conquered"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the-world-has-grown-grey-from-thy/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/algernon-charles-swinburne-291_conquered_thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the_776099.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/algernon-charles-swinburne-291_conquered_thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the_776099.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94a/algernon-charles-swinburne-291_conquered_thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the_776099.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath;/ We have drunken of things…” — Algernon Charles Swinburne",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Algernon Charles Swinburne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean;...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the-world-has-grown-grey-from-thy/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/thou-hast-conquered-o-pale-galilean-the-world-has-grown-grey-from-thy/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
