Lord Byron, The Prophecy of Dante (1821), Canto III, lines 106–118 (pp. 31–32)

But in a farther age shall rise along The banks of Po two greater still than he; The world which smiled on him shall do them wrong Till they are ashes, and repose with me. The first [Ariosto] will make an epoch with his lyre And fill the earth with feats of chivalry: His fancy like a rainbow, and his fire, Like that of Heaven, immortal, and his thought Borne onward with a wing that cannot tire; Pleasure shall, like a butterfly new caught, Flutter her lovely pinions o'er his theme, And Art itself seem into Nature wrought By the transparency of his bright dream.

— Lord Byron on Ludovico Ariosto

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "But in a farther age shall rise along The banks of Po two greater still than he; The world which smiled on him shall do them wrong Till they are ashes, and repose with me. The first [Ariosto] will make an epoch with his lyre And fill the earth with feats of chivalry: His fancy like a rainbow, and his fire, Like that of Heaven, immortal, and his thought Borne onward with a wing that cannot tire; Pleasure shall, like a butterfly new caught, Flutter her lovely pinions o'er his theme, And Art itself seem into Nature wrought By the transparency of his bright dream." in the context of "Lord Byron, The Prophecy of Dante (1821), Canto III, lines 106–118 (pp. 31–32)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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

About Lord Byron

George Gordon (Noel) Byron, 6th Baron Byron (January 22 1788 – April 19 1824), generally known as Lord Byron, was an English poet and leading figure in Romanticism. He was the father of the mathematician Ada Lovelace.