“The Flower that Smiles Today”

The flower that smiles to-day

To-morrow dies;

All that we wish to stay

Tempts and then flies.

What is this world’s delight?

Lightning that mocks the night,

Brief even as bright.*

 

*This is the first stanza of The Flower that Smiles Today by Percy Shelley, one of my favourite poems. Read the entire poem and a brief analysis here.

And a favourite quote:

“Man’s life is brief and transitory, Literature endures forever.”

― Rory Stewart, The Places in Between

Flowers of primary colours: travel theme by wheresmybackpack.com

Photos: jenniferkellandperry.com