{"id":1358,"date":"2019-04-28T19:21:58","date_gmt":"2019-04-28T19:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/142.150.46.75\/poemsandfancies\/?p=1358"},"modified":"2019-05-04T09:59:01","modified_gmt":"2019-05-04T09:59:01","slug":"of-the-shortness-of-mans-life-and-his-foolish-ambition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/?p=1358","title":{"rendered":"Of the Shortness of Man\u2019s Life and his Foolish Ambition"},"content":{"rendered":"

In gardens sweet, each flower mark did<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> I,
\nHow they<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> did spring, bud, blow, wither, and die.
\nWith that, contemplating<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> of man\u2019s short stay,
\nSaw man like to those flowers<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> pass away.
\nYet build they<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> houses thick, and strong, and high,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5
\nAs if they<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> should live to eternity,
\nHoards<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span> up a mass of wealth, yet cannot fill
\nHis empty mind, but covet he will still.
\nTo gain and<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> keep, such falsehood men do use
\n\u2019Gainst right and truth, no base ways they<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span> refuse.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 10
\nI would not blame them, could they death out keep,
\nOr ease their pains, or cause a quiet sleep,
\nOr purchase Heav\u2019n, there like the gods to live,<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span>
\nAnd to the sun, moon, stars, could orders give,<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span>
\nCommand the winds to blow, seas to obey,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 15
\nAnd level all their waves, cause<\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span> winds to stay\u2014
\nBut they no power have, unless to die,
\nAnd care in life is a great misery.
\nThis care\u2019s but<\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span> for a word, an empty sound,
\nIn which is<\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span> neither soul nor substance found,<\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 20
\nYet as their heir, they make it to inherit,
\nAnd all they have they leave unto this spirit.
\nTo get this child of fame, and this bare word,
\nThey fear no dangers, neither fire nor sword.
\nAll horrid pains and deaths<\/span>16<\/sup><\/a><\/span> they will endure,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 25
\nOr anything, can it<\/span>17<\/sup><\/a><\/span> but fame procure.
\nO man, O man!<\/span>18<\/sup><\/a><\/span> What high ambition grows
\nWithin his brain,<\/span>19<\/sup><\/a><\/span> and yet how low he goes!
\nTo be contented only with<\/span>20<\/sup><\/a><\/span> a sound,
\nWhere neither life nor body can be found.<\/span>21<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 30<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In gardens sweet, each flower mark did I, How they did spring, bud, blow, wither, and die. With that, contemplating of man\u2019s short stay, Saw man like to those flowers pass away. Yet build they houses thick, and strong, and high,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5 As if they should live to eternity, Hoards up a mass of wealth, … Continue reading Of the Shortness of Man\u2019s Life and his Foolish Ambition<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,215],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moral-discourses","category-part2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1358"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1363,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358\/revisions\/1363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library2.utm.utoronto.ca\/poemsandfancies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}