Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.
John DrydenRead
When he spoke, what tender words he used! So softly, that like flakes of feathered snow, They melted as they fell.
Interpretation
The quote describes the gentle and impactful nature of someone's words, likening them to soft, delicate snowflakes.
In this quote, John Dryden reflects on the beauty and tenderness of someone's speech. The comparison of their words to 'flakes of feathered snow' suggests that when they spoke, their words were not only gentle but also had a profound effect, melting away barriers and touching hearts with their softness and sincerity.
In practice
In a romantic setting, one might quote this to emphasize the beauty of their partner's words.
Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.
Of no distemper, of no blast he died, _x000D_ But fell like autumn fruit that mellow'd long: _x000D_ Even wonder'd at, because he dropp'd no sooner. _x000D_ Fate seem'd to wind him up for fourscore years; _x000D_ Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more; _x000D_ Till like a clock worn out with eating time, _x000D_ The wheels of weary life at last stood still.
Or hast thou known the world so long in vain?
Shame on the body for breaking down while the spirit perseveres.
Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.
And write whatever Time shall bring to pass_x000D_ _x000D_ With pens of adamant on plates of brass.
It was an evil doom that set her in his path. For she is a fair maiden, fairest lady of a house of queens. And yet I know not how I should speak of her. When I first looked on her and perceived her unhappiness, it seemed to me that I saw a white flower standing straight and proud, shapely as a lily and yet knew that it was hard, as if wrought by elf-wrights out of steel.
At that time, he was satisfying a sensual curiosity by experiencing the pleasures of people who live for love. He had believed he could stop there, that he would not be obliged to learn their sorrows; how small a thing her charm was for him now compared with the astounding terror that extended out from it like a murky halo, the immense anguish of not knowing at every moment what she had been doing, of not possessing her everywhere and always!
To love is to find your own soul Through the soul of the beloved one.
She was truly a beautiful girl. I could feel a small polished stone sinking through the darkest waters of my heart. All those deep convoluted channels and passageways, and yet she managed to toss her pebble right down to the bottom of it all.
You can't touch love, but you can feel the sweetness that it pours into everything.
Suffering passes, while love is eternal. That's a gift that you have received from God. Don't waste it.
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