Andrew Marvell, "The Picture of Little T. C. in a Prospect of Flowers"
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But O, young beauty of the woods, Whom Nature courts with fruits and flowers, Gather the flowers, but spare the buds; Lest Flora, angry at thy crime To kill her infants in their prime, Do quickly make th’ example yours;                   And ere we see, Nip in the blossom all our hopes and thee.

— Andrew Marvell on Flora (goddess)

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "But O, young beauty of the woods, Whom Nature courts with fruits and flowers, Gather the flowers, but spare the buds; Lest Flora, angry at thy crime To kill her infants in their prime, Do quickly make th’ example yours;                   And ere we see, Nip in the blossom all our hopes and thee." in the context of "Andrew Marvell, "The Picture of Little T. C. in a Prospect of Flowers"" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Flora (goddess)" (Quotes, Post-classical sources) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Andrew Marvell

About Andrew Marvell

Andrew Marvell (March 31, 1621 – August 16, 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, and the son of an Anglican clergyman. As a metaphysical, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert. He was the first assistant of John Milton.