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The Dragon-Fly

By Walter Savage Landor

Topics: classic

Life (priest and poet say) is but a dream; I wish no happier one than to be laid Beneath a cool syringas scented shade, Or wavy willow, by the running stream, Brimful of moral, where the dragon-fly, Wanders as careless and content as I. Thanks for this fancy, insect king, Of purple crest and filmy wing, Who with indifference givest up The water-lilys golden cup, To come again and overlook What I am writing in my book. Believe me, most who read the line Will read with hornier eyes than thine; And yet their souls shall live for ever, And thine drop dead into the river! God pardon them, O insect king, Who fancy so unjust a thing!

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"Life (priest and poet say) is but a dream;..."

This evocative piece by Walter Savage Landor, titled "The Dragon-Fly", 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:Walter Savage Landor

"Life (priest and poet say) is but a dream;..." by Walter Savage Landor

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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"

Walter Savage Landor

About Walter Savage Landor

Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864) was an English poet and prose writer whose "Imaginary Conversations" and lyric poems are marked by classical restraint and epigrammatic wit. His poem "Rose Aylmer" is one of the most admired short poems in English.

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"Now thou art gone, tho' not gone far,     It seems..."

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