Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam
Ernest Dowson
They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
Love and desire and hate:
I think they have no portion in us after
We pass the gate.
They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream.
*The Latin title translated means "The brief sum of life forbids us the hope of enduring long". It's from Horace's Ode 1 (Carminum liber primus). Horace is the same Roman lyric poet who gave us the phrase "carpe diem". Just felt like sharing this short poem I found. The melancholic tone and brevity of it appealed to me very much.
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