Who o’er the herd would wish to reign,
Fantastic, fickle, fierce, and vain!
Vain as the leaf upon the stream,
And fickle as a changeful dream;
Fantastic as a woman’s mood,
And fierce as Frenzy’s fever’d blood.
Thou many-headed monster thing,
Oh who would wish to be thy king!Walter Scott (1771-1832) Scottish writer, historian, biographer
Lady of the Lake, Canto 5, XXX (1810)
Quotations by:
Scott, Walter
Heap on the wood! — the wind is chill;
But let it whistle as it will,
We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.
Walter Scott (1771-1832) Scottish writer, historian, biographer
Marmion, Canto 6, Introduction (1808)
(Source)
The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.