Line 826. A number of authors have addressed this common motif of an eagle shot with an eagle-feather arrow
“
'Twas thine own genius gave the final blow,
And help'd to plant the wound that laid thee low:
So the struck eagle, stretch'd upon the plain,
No more through rolling clouds to soar again,
View'd his own feather on the fatal dart,
And wing'd the shaft that quiver'd in his heart.
— Lord Byron
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "'Twas thine own genius gave the final blow,
And help'd to plant the wound that laid thee low:
So the struck eagle, stretch'd upon the plain,
No more through rolling clouds to soar again,
View'd his own feather on the fatal dart,
And wing'd the shaft that quiver'd in his heart." in the context of "Line 826. A number of authors have addressed this common motif of an eagle shot with an eagle-feather arrow" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Lord Byron" (Quotes, English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809): Text at readytogoebooks.com.)
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 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.
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.
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