William Shakespeare
published 1609 · England
That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
Sonnets, 73
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Ptahhotep Ptah-hotep
c. 24th century BC · Memphis, ancient Egypt
O Prince, my Lord, the end of life is at hand; old age descendeth [upon me]; feebleness cometh, and childishness is renewed. He [that is old] lieth down in misery every day. The eyes are small; the ears are deaf. Energy is diminished, the heart hath no rest. The mouth is silent, and he speaketh no word; the heart stoppeth, and he remembereth not yesterday. The bones are painful throughout the body; good turneth unto evil. All taste departeth. These things doeth old age for mankind, being evil in all things.The Instruction of Ptahhotep, the prologue · in place of the original: the English translation by Battiscombe Gunn (1906)
Leonardo da Vinci
late 15th century · Florence · Milan
As a day well spent procures a happy sleep, so a life well employed procures a happy death.From his notebooks · in place of the original: the English translation edited by J. P. Richter (1883)
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