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Religious Isolation

By Matthew Arnold

Topics: classic

Children (as such forgive them) have I known,     Ever in their own eager pastime bent     To make the incurious bystander, intent     On his own swarming thoughts, an interest own;     Too fearful or too fond to play alone.     Do thou, whom light in thine own inmost soul     (Not less thy boast) illuminates, control     Wishes unworthy of a man full-grown.     What though the holy secret which moulds thee     Moulds not the solid Earth? though never Winds     Have whisperd it to the complaining Sea,     Natures great law, and law of all mens minds     To its own impulse every creature stirs:     Live by thy light, and Earth will live by hers

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"Children (as such forgive them) have I known,..."

This evocative piece by Matthew Arnold, titled "Religious Isolation", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Matthew Arnold

"Children (as such forgive them) have I known,..." by Matthew Arnold

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Matthew Arnold

About Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) was an English poet and critic whose poems "Dover Beach" and "The Scholar Gipsy" explore Victorian doubt and the search for meaning. His critical work "Culture and Anarchy" (1869) remains influential in literary and cultural studies.

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"Down the Savoy valleys sounding,     Echoing round..."

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