Lord Byron, "The Isles of Greece" in Don Juan, Canto III

Fill high the bowl with Samian wine!   We will not think of themes like these! It made Anacreon’s song divine:   He served—but served Polycrates— A tyrant; but our masters then Were still, at least, our countrymen.

— Lord Byron on Polycrates

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Fill high the bowl with Samian wine!   We will not think of themes like these! It made Anacreon’s song divine:   He served—but served Polycrates— A tyrant; but our masters then Were still, at least, our countrymen." in the context of "Lord Byron, "The Isles of Greece" in Don Juan, Canto III" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Polycrates" (About) 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.