William Shakespeare · 1623
Fear No More the Heat o' the Sun
William Shakespeare · 1623
Fear no more the heat o' the sun, Nor the furious winter's rages: Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages: Golden lads and girls all must, As chimney-sweepers, come to dust. Fear no more the frown o' the great, Thou art past the tyrant's stroke; Care no more to clothe and eat; To thee the reed is as the oak: The sceptre, learning, physic, must All follow this, and come to dust. Fear no more the lightning flash Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone; Fear not slander, censure rash; Thou hast finish'd joy and moan: All lovers young, all lovers must Consign to thee, and come to dust.
Public domain in the UK and the US · serany.app
What Serany thinks about this poem
Background
Shakespeare wrote it for Cymbeline around 1610, where two brothers sing it over a body they think is a boy's. It has been printed on its own as a poem since 1861.
Meaning
It's telling someone who died that nothing can get at them now: not the weather, not work, not anyone important. Kings and chimney sweeps all end the same way.
Who's it for
A person who worked hard all their life and had had enough by the end. It also fits someone who never cared much who was important and who wasn't.
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