Book I, Canto III, III Unthrift.
“
Ah, wasteful woman, she who may
On her sweet self set her own price,
Knowing man cannot choose but pay,
How has she cheapen'd paradise;
How given for nought her priceless gift,
How spoil'd the bread and spill'd the wine,
Which, spent with due, respective thrift,
Had made brutes men, and men divine.
— Coventry Patmore
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Ah, wasteful woman, she who may
On her sweet self set her own price,
Knowing man cannot choose but pay,
How has she cheapen'd paradise;
How given for nought her priceless gift,
How spoil'd the bread and spill'd the wine,
Which, spent with due, respective thrift,
Had made brutes men, and men divine." in the context of "Book I, Canto III, III Unthrift." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Coventry Patmore" (Quotes, The Angel in the House (1854))
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 Coventry Patmore
Coventry Kearsey Deighton Patmore (July 23, 1823 – November 26, 1896) was an English poet and critic.
About Coventry Patmore
Coventry Kearsey Deighton Patmore (July 23, 1823 – November 26, 1896) was an English poet and critic.
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