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Poetry · Chapter
CCXXV explained
A brief poetic reflection on the nature of happiness, suggesting it exists only in anticipation and memory, not in the present moment.
What happens
A brief poetic reflection on the nature of happiness, suggesting it exists only in anticipation and memory, not in the present moment.
Key passages
“Seek not for happiness—’tis known To hope and memory alone; At dawn—how bright the noon will be! At eve—how fair it glowed, ah, me!”
Do not pursue happiness, for it is only found in anticipation and recollection; in the morning we imagine a bright noon, but in the evening we lament how beautiful it seemed.
The chapter is a short poem on the elusiveness of happiness.