Hope knows not if fear speaks truth, nor fear whether hope be blind as she. Algernon Charles Swinburne More Quotes by Algernon Charles Swinburne More Quotes From Algernon Charles Swinburne To wipe off the froth of falsehood from the foaming lips of inebriated virtue, when fresh from the sexless orgies of morality and reeling from the delirious riot of religion, may doubtless be a charitable office. Algernon Charles Swinburne wipe office religion Life is the lust of a lamp for the light that is dark till the dawn of the day that we die. Algernon Charles Swinburne light lust dark On the mountains of memory by the world's wellsprings, in all man's eyes, where the light of life of him is on all past things, death only dies. Algernon Charles Swinburne eye men memories Who knows but on their sleep may rise Such light as never heaven let through To lighten earth from Paradise? Algernon Charles Swinburne light sleep heaven While three men hold together, the kingdoms are less by three. Algernon Charles Swinburne political together men The highest spiritual quality, the noblest property of mind a man can have, is this of loyalty ... a man with no loyalty in him, with no sense of love or reverence or devotion due to something outside and above his poor daily life, with its pains and pleasures, profits and losses, is as evil a case as man can be. Algernon Charles Swinburne pain loyalty spiritual There was a poor poet named Clough, Whom his friends all united to puff, But the public, though dull, Had not such a skull As belonged to believers in Clough. Algernon Charles Swinburne puff skulls friendship No blast of air or fire of sun Puts out the light whereby we run With girdled loins our lamplit race, And each from each takes heart of grace And spirit till his turn be done. Algernon Charles Swinburne fire heart running White rose in red rose-garden Is not so white; Snowdrops, that plead for pardon And pine for fright Because the hard East blows Over their maiden vows, Grow not as this face grows from pale to bright. Algernon Charles Swinburne garden blow white Doubt is faith in the main: but faith, on the whole, is doubt; Algernon Charles Swinburne truth faith believe There lived a singer in France of old By the tideless dolorous midland sea. In a land of sand and rain and gold There shone one woman, and none but she. Algernon Charles Swinburne rain heart love There is no safety-net to protect against attraction. Algernon Charles Swinburne safety wisdom wise Let weakness learn meekness. Algernon Charles Swinburne meekness weakness experience I have lived long enough, having seen one thing, that love hath an Algernon Charles Swinburne ends enough long The sun is all about the world we see, the breath and strength of every spring. Algernon Charles Swinburne sun spring world A young man with a very good past. Algernon Charles Swinburne young men past A little soul scarce fledged for earth Takes wing with heaven again for goal, Even while we hailed as fresh from birth A little soul. Algernon Charles Swinburne goal wings heaven The delight that consumes the desire, The desire that outruns the delight. Algernon Charles Swinburne outrun delight desire Time turns the old days to derision, Our loves into corpses or wives. Algernon Charles Swinburne our-love wife time The more congenial page of some tenth-rate poeticule worn out with failure after failure and now squat in his hole like the tailless fox, he is curled up to snarl and whimper beneath the inaccessible vine of song. Algernon Charles Swinburne failure pages song