"The Fiercest Agonies Have The Shortest Reign"
Context: Bryant celebrates the fact that eternal change is the rule of the universe, that life itself is a constant mutation. Even though pleasure cannot last, pain also has a mercifully short duration. The "secret pangs of shame" are soon lost in oblivion, and remorse can lead to virtue. Joy can be born of sadness: "Weep not that the world changes–did it keep/ A stable, changless state, 'twere cause indeed to weep." Mutation, then, is a consolation:
They talk of short-lived pleasure–be it so–
Pain dies as quickly: stern, hard-featured pain
Expires, and lets her weary prisoner go.
The fiercest agonies have shortest reign;
And after dreams of horror, comes again
The welcome morning with its rays of peace.
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