what is the meaning of this?

bubu   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:08 am GMT
Hello,
Can someone tell me what the stanza means?

RICHES I hold in light esteem,
And Love I laugh to scorn;
And lust of fame was but a dream
That vanish'd with the morn:

Thank you
Uriel   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:33 am GMT
Wealth is not important to me
Neither is love
Wanting to be famous was only a dream
That disappeared in the morning (probably poetic for "when I woke up").
bubu   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:41 am GMT
Thank you uriel

can 'morning' refer to realisation of the self or wisdom in the above context?
Uriel   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:45 am GMT
I suppose the whole "dream/waking" metaphor could apply to any change in your perception of reality. I don't know the context of this particular quote, but your interpretation sounds reasonable.
bubu   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:57 am GMT
This is actually one of the three stanzas of the poem 'old stoic' written by Emily Bronte. Here is the whole poem.

THE OLD STOIC
RICHES I hold in light esteem,
And Love I laugh to scorn;
And lust of fame was but a dream
That vanish'd with the morn:

And, if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is, 'Leave the heart that now I bear,
And give me liberty!'

Yea, as my swift days near their goal,
'Tis all that I implore:
In life and death a chainless soul,
With courage to endure.

I find the phrase 'leave the heart' in the second paragraph difficult. do you think it may refer to the stoic's intention to be forgiven for the 'sinner-heart' he thinks he has

Thank you
Uriel   Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:09 am GMT
I interpret that line as a longing for death: "leave my heart" and "give me liberty." You may also be right, though; I think it's pretty open to interpretation, and most people on the verge of death would like to be absolved of their sins, or at least absolved of their worries.
bubu   Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:22 am GMT
Thank you so much Uriel !!
Uriel   Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:57 am GMT
My pleasure, bubu.
michael   Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:09 pm GMT
The heart may be heavy due to something other than sin - loss, love or anything else of importance
milena   Wed Sep 07, 2005 3:08 am GMT
cuorage of "the old stoic"?
milena   Wed Sep 07, 2005 3:12 am GMT
courage of this story?
paige   Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:15 pm GMT
what does the second and third stanza of this poem mean?
flavor flav   Tue Apr 03, 2007 3:59 pm GMT
What do :

And, if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is, 'Leave the heart that now I bear,
And give me liberty!'

Yea, as my swift days near their goal,
'Tis all that I implore:
In life and death a chainless soul,
With courage to endure.

these two stanzas mean?