A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad (1896), XXXI, sts. 3–6
“
Then, ’twas before my time, the Roman At yonder heaving hill would stare. The blood that warms an English yeoman, The thoughts that hurt him, they were there.There, like the wind through woods in riot, Through him the gale of life blew high; The tree of man was never quiet: Then ’twas the Roman, now ’tis I.The gale, it plies the saplings double, It blows so hard, ’twill soon be gone: To-day the Roman and his trouble Are ashes under Uricon.
— A. E. Housman on Roman Britain
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Then, ’twas before my time, the Roman At yonder heaving hill would stare. The blood that warms an English yeoman, The thoughts that hurt him, they were there.There, like the wind through woods in riot, Through him the gale of life blew high; The tree of man was never quiet: Then ’twas the Roman, now ’tis I.The gale, it plies the saplings double, It blows so hard, ’twill soon be gone: To-day the Roman and his trouble Are ashes under Uricon." in the context of "A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad (1896), XXXI, sts. 3–6" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Roman Britain" (Modern quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman (26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936), usually known as A.E. Housman, was an English poet and classical scholar, now best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.
About A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman (26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936), usually known as A.E. Housman, was an English poet and classical scholar, now best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.
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