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date: 21 June 2025

Ernest Dowson 1867–1900
English poet 

  1. I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind,
    Flung roses, roses, riotously, with the throng,
    Dancing, to put thy pale, lost lilies out of mind.
     
    ‘Non Sum Qualis Eram’ (1896) (also known as ‘Cynara’); see Horace
  2. But I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
    Yea, all the time, because the dance was long:
    I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.
     
    ‘Non Sum Qualis Eram’ (1896) (also known as ‘Cynara’); see Horace
  3. They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
    Love and desire and hate.
     
    ‘Vitae Summa Brevis’ (1896)
  4. They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
    Out of a misty dream
    Our path emerges for a while, then closes
    Within a dream.
     
    ‘Vitae Summa Brevis’ (1896)