It mocks me as it flies, I know:
All too soon the gleam will go;
Yet I love it and shall love
My dream that brooks no narrower bars
Than bind the darkening heavens above,
My Jack o'Lanthorn of the stars:
Then, I'll follow it no more,
I'll light the lamp: I'll close the door." - Meaning and context.">
Apologia
“

It mocks me as it flies, I know:
All too soon the gleam will go
;
Yet I love it and shall love
My dream that brooks no narrower bars
Than bind the darkening heavens above,
My Jack o'Lanthorn of the stars:
Then, I'll follow it no more,
I'll light the lamp: I'll close the door.

— Alfred Noyes

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It mocks me as it flies, I know:
All too soon the gleam will go
;
Yet I love it and shall love
My dream that brooks no narrower bars
Than bind the darkening heavens above,
My Jack o'Lanthorn of the stars:
Then, I'll follow it no more,
I'll light the lamp: I'll close the door." in the context of "Apologia" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Alfred Noyes" (Quotes, The Flower of Old Japan and Other Poems (1907): Full text online, Forest of Wild Thyme) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Alfred Noyes

About Alfred Noyes

Alfred Noyes (16 September 1880 – 28 June 1958) was an English poet, short-story writer and playwright.