John Dryden, Imitation of Horace, Book III. Ode XXIX, line 71.
“

Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

— John Dryden on Past

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour." in the context of "John Dryden, Imitation of Horace, Book III. Ode XXIX, line 71." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Past" (Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 581-83.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Dryden

About John Dryden

John Dryden (19 August O.S. 9 August 1631 – 12 May O.S. 1 May 1700) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate.