Quote by Edna St. Vincent Millay, When We
When we are old and these rejoicing veins Are frosty channels to a muted stream,And out of all our burning there remainsNo feeblest spark to fire us, even in dream,This be our solace: that it was not saidWhen we were young and warm and in our prime,Upon our couch we lay as lie the dead,Sleeping away the unreturning time.
Summary
This quote speaks to the inevitability of aging and the loss of vitality over time. It suggests that as we grow old, our once passionate and vibrant spirits will wane, leaving behind only a silent and faded existence. Despite this melancholic realization, the quote offers solace in the idea that this truth was not revealed to us in our youthful days when we were full of life and energy. Instead, it suggests that as we lie on our deathbed, slipping away into eternal sleep, we can find comfort in knowing that this knowledge was unknowable and spared us while we were still alive.