Thus fares it still in our decay: And yet the wiser mind Mourns less for what age takes away Than what it leaves behind.
Matthew — in William Wordsworth’s The Fountain (1799)
Where these words come from
- 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
- The Fountain (1799); Exact wording and attribution checked. Spoken by Matthew, a fictional character, in The Fountain (1799). Complete stanza in the elderly character’s meditation on aging and sorrow.
- The Fountain (1799)
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