Ernest Dowson’s poem “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam” is a beautiful and tragic work that reflects on the fleeting nature of life. The poem centers around the idea that we must make the most of our time, because it is ultimately limited. This theme is expressed through the use of vivid imagery and carefully chosen words. The poem speaks to the human condition in a way that is both moving and relatable. Despite its sad message, “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam” is a beautiful piece of literature that is definitely worth reading.
Ernest Dowson (1867-1900) wrote this poem. Describing him is a sad task, since Dowson was both a student at Oxford for a time and a severe alcoholic whose life sadly came to an end too soon. We may extend the comparison still further by noting that he was a Roman Catholic convert.
The phrase “the brevity of life forbids us to entertain lengthy expectations” comes from Horace, and it might be translated as “life is short; therefore, we are unable to maintain long hopes.” The poem focuses on Ernest Dowson’s love for a woman he could not have and his hope that they would meet again in the afterlife.
Dowson was known for his use of color imagery, and this poem is no exception. He begins by describing the woman he loves as “pale” and “white,” which sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The second stanza talks about how their love can never be, because she is married to someone else. In the third stanza, Dowson asks whether they will meet again in heaven, where “all tears are wiped away.” This final stanza is full of hope, despite the sad tone of the poem overall.
While Ernest Dowson was not a well-known poet during his lifetime, his work has been praised by some of the most famous poets of the 20th century. T.S. Eliot called him “the best lyric poet of my generation,” and W.B. Yeats said that Dowson was “one of the few perfect masters of rhymed verse.” Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam is a beautiful poem that perfectly captures the pain and hope of unrequited love.
It’s not surprising that he called his poem in Latin; after all, it was during those times when learning Latin was considered a requirement for a decent education. That is why students of English poetry are confronted with these Latin words at the beginning of the poem: “Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam” Ernest Dowson’s poem, “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam,” is about life’s transience and how fruitless it is to try and keep youth and beauty.
The title comes from a line in Horace’s Odes: “The brief sum of life does not allow us to entertain high hopes.” The poem reflects Dowson’s own philosophy of life, which was shaped by his own experiences. He was a talented poet who died young, before he had a chance to fulfill his potential. He was also in love with a married woman, whom he could never have. So his life was full of disappointment and unfulfilled desires. In the poem, he is trying to come to terms with these things, and to accept the fact that life is fleeting and we must make the most of it while we can.
Ernest Dowson was an English poet who was born in 1867 and died in 1900. He is best known for his poetry which reflects his own philosophy of life. This philosophy was shaped by his own experiences which included disappointment and unfulfilled desires.
Dowson is referring to the brevity of human sentiments when he says, “Wept and laughed, love and desire and even life itself are all limited.” This poem is a reminder to live in the present moment. The title comes from the Latin phrase “vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam” which means “the brief sum of life does not allow us to entertain hope for a long time”.
This is a beautiful and tragic poem that speaks to the human condition. Ernest Dowson was a talented poet and this poem is one of his most famous works.
He further states that the days of pleasure and joy, which he metaphorically describes as “days of wine and roses,” are not long either. And speaking about our brief existence, it is similar to a path seen emerging out of a fog, then dissipating into it.
As we walk along it, we see other paths diverging from it, only to vanish as well. Ernest Dowson was an English poet, who is best remembered for the poem “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam.” This poem is about the transience of life and how our time on earth is brief. Even though our time on earth is short, we should not despair because there is still beauty to be found in life.
Dowson’s poem is undoubtedly lovely. Happiness is ephemeral, life is transitory and enigmatic, yet in reading those lines by Dowson, we must say that as R. H. Blyth once observed, when phrased like that it doesn’t seem too bad.
He was associated with the Decadent movement and wrote such works as “Cynara” and “Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae sub Regno Cynarae”. Ernest Dowson died young, at the age of 32, from alcoholism. Vita Brevis, Ars Longa is a Latin translation of an Ancient Greek aphorism. It means “Life is short, but Art is long”.
The full quote is: “Vita brevis, ars longa, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile”. This translates to: “Life is short, Art is long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgment difficult.” The phrase is often attributed to Hippocrates, but there is no evidence that he actually said it. It was first quoted by the Roman author and philosopher Boethius in his work De Consolatione Philosophiae (The Consolation of Philosophy), written while he was incarcerated and awaiting execution during the early 6th century.
Ernest Dowson translated this Latin aphorism into English as: “Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam”. This can be translated as: “The shortness of life forbids us to entertain any but brief hopes.” In other words, life is too short to plan for anything beyond the present moment. Ernest Dowson’s poem “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam” (Life’s too short to start a long hope) is a beautiful poem that reflects on the transience of life and the futility of chasing after things that we can never truly attain.