# CLXXXI explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief reflection on the passage of time, noting the vastness of childhood, the swiftness of youth, and the sudden, unbelievable arrival of age.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Regret

The chapter reflects on the swift and surprising onset of age, touching on the inevitability of mortality and the regret of time's passage.

## Key lines

> From childhood to youth is eternity; from youth to manhood, a season. Age comes in a night and is incredible.

The transition from childhood to youth feels endless, but moving from youth to adulthood is brief. Old age arrives suddenly and is hard to believe.

_The narrator meditates on the subjective experience of time's acceleration and the shocking arrival of old age._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/clxxxi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters