And energy the child of hell:
The Good Man pouring from his pitcher clear
But brims the poisoned well." - Meaning and context.">
Timoleon, Fragments of a Lost Gnostic Poem of the Twelfth Century, Fragment 2

Indolence is heaven’s ally here,
And energy the child of hell:
The Good Man pouring from his pitcher clear
But brims the poisoned well.

— Herman Melville

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Indolence is heaven’s ally here,
And energy the child of hell:
The Good Man pouring from his pitcher clear
But brims the poisoned well." in the context of "Timoleon, Fragments of a Lost Gnostic Poem of the Twelfth Century, Fragment 2" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Herman Melville" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Herman Melville

About Herman Melville

Herman Melville (1 August 1819 – 28 September 1891) was an American novelist, essayist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period.