The former post was off topic and was thus removed as it was a violation of our
Great Books & Classics spirit. These forums are being phased out & replaced. Join us at our new
registration-only forums at:
jollyrogerwest.com Great Books forums,
Philosophy Forums,
and booksliterature.com Great Books forums.

Please respect that these are Great Books sites. We prefer discussions along the following
lines:

I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like
if Moses had run them through the US Congress.
Ronald Reagan

LXIV



When I have seen by Time\'s fell hand defac\'d

The rich-proud cost of outworn buried age;

When sometime lofty towers I see down-raz\'d,

And brass eternal slave to mortal rage;

When I have seen the hungry ocean gain

Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,

And the firm soil win of the watery main,

Increasing store with loss, and loss with store;

When I have seen such interchange of state,

Or state itself confounded, to decay;

Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate--

That Time will come and take my love away. 

  This thought is as a death which cannot choose

  But weep to have, that which it fears to lose.

 	--William Shakespeare

XIV



Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck;

And yet methinks I have astronomy,

But not to tell of good or evil luck,

Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons\' quality;

Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,

Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,

Or say with princes if it shall go well

By oft predict that I in heaven find:

But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,

And constant stars in them I read such art

As \'Truth and beauty shall together thrive,

If from thyself, to store thou wouldst convert\'; 

  Or else of thee this I prognosticate:

  \'Thy end is truth\'s and beauty\'s doom and date.\'



XV



When I consider every thing that grows

Holds in perfection but a little moment,

That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows

Whereon the stars in secret influence comment;

When I perceive that men as plants increase,

Cheered and checked even by the self-same sky,

Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,

And wear their brave state out of memory;

Then the conceit of this inconstant stay

Sets you most rich in youth before my sight,

Where wasteful Time debateth with decay

To change your day of youth to sullied night,

  And all in war with Time for love of you,

  As he takes from you, I engraft you new.

 	--William Shakespeare

CVI



When in the chronicle of wasted time

I see descriptions of the fairest wights,

And beauty making beautiful old rime,

In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,

Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty\'s best,

Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,

I see their antique pen would have express\'d

Even such a beauty as you master now.

So all their praises are but prophecies

Of this our time, all you prefiguring;

And for they looked but with divining eyes,

They had not skill enough your worth to sing:

  For we, which now behold these present days,

  Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.

 	--William Shakespeare