William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (1600s), Act II, scene 2, line 196.

The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, Burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed that The winds were love-sick with them: the oars were silver, Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made The water which they beat to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes.

— William Shakespeare on Ships

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, Burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed that The winds were love-sick with them: the oars were silver, Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made The water which they beat to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes." in the context of "William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (1600s), Act II, scene 2, line 196." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Ships" (Quotes: Sorted alphabetically by author or source) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
William Shakespeare

About William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.