There, by the starlit fences The wanderer halts and hears My soul that lingers sighing About the glimmering weirs.
A. E. HousmanRead
Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies, But keep your fancy free.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that material wealth is less valuable than emotional attachment and freedom in love.
In this quote, A. E. Housman conveys the idea that while it is acceptable to give away material possessions, one should protect their heart and emotions. The metaphor of giving away crowns and jewels represents the idea of generosity, but the emphasis on keeping one's 'fancy free' highlights the importance of emotional independence and the caution against becoming too attached or losing oneself in romantic ventures.
Themes
LoveFreedomHeartGenerosityAttachment
In practice
Example use cases
In a wedding speech to emphasize the importance of emotional bonds over material gifts.
More from A. E. Housman
All quotes βWho made the world I cannot tell; 'Tis made, and here am I in hell. My hand, though now my knuckles bleed, I never soiled with such a deed.
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I am not a pessimist but a pejorist (as George Eliot said she was not an optimist but a meliorist); and that philosophy is founded on my observation of the world, not on anything so trivial and irrelevant as personal history.
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Lovers lying two and two Ask not whom they sleep beside, And the bridegroom all night through Never turns him to the bride.
A. E. HousmanRead
And malt does more than Milton can to justify God's ways to man.
A. E. HousmanRead
Oh, 'tis jesting, dancing, drinking_x000D_ _x000D_ Spins the heavy world around.
A. E. HousmanRead
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