Time & Brevity

Opportunity

by William Blake 1757–1827

From Poems, ed. Alice Meynell (1911)

Time & Brevity

He who bends to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sunrise.

If you trap the moment before it's ripe,
The tears of repentance you'll certainly wipe;
But, if once you let the ripe moment go,
You can never wipe off the tears of woe.

MLA

Blake, William. “Opportunity.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/blake/84/.

Chicago

Blake, William. “Opportunity.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/blake/84/.

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