And all you men, whom greatness does so please, Ye feast, I fear, like Damocles. If you your eyes could upwards move, (But you, I fear, think nothing is above) You would perceive by what a little thread The sword still hangs over your head. No tide of wine would drown your cares, No mirth or music over-noise your fears; The fear of death would you so watchful keep, As not to admit the image of it, sleep.

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "And all you men, whom greatness does so please, Ye feast, I fear, like Damocles. If you your eyes could upwards move, (But you, I fear, think nothing is above) You would perceive by what a little thread The sword still hangs over your head. No tide of wine would drown your cares, No mirth or music over-noise your fears; The fear of death would you so watchful keep, As not to admit the image of it, sleep." in the context of "Abraham Cowley, “Of Greatness”" to mean that wisdom is timeless.