Time And Love

Discover heartfelt reflections on time’s passage and love’s enduring presence.

New seasons ripen, perish, die, And yet love stays.

Short Poems & Quotes | Poems | Famous Poems | Famous Love Poems | Time And Love

Updated January 23, 2025, by Catherine Pulsifer

Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s Time and Love takes us on a heartfelt journey through the passage of time and the steadfast presence of love. With her poignant words, she paints a picture of life’s fleeting moments and the complexities of love as it evolves. The poem captures the beauty and the challenges that love brings, reminding us of its ability to endure despite time’s relentless march.

Whether sweet or bittersweet, love lingers, a constant thread through life’s ever-changing seasons. Wilcox’s reflection offers both comfort and a gentle nudge to let go when love no longer brings joy, encouraging us to embrace what lies ahead.

Time And Love

Poet: Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Time flies. The swift hours hurry by
And speed us on to untried ways;
New seasons ripen, perish, die,
And yet love stays.
The old, old love — like sweet at first,
At last like bitter wine —
I know not if it blest or curst,
Thy life and mine.

Time flies. In vain our prayers, our tears,
We cannot tempt him to delays;
Down to the past he bears the years,
And yet love stays.
Through changing task and varying dream
We hear the same refrain,
As one can hear a plaintive theme
Run through each strain.

Time flies. He steals our pulsing youth,
He robs us of our care- free days,
He takes away our trust and truth,
And yet love stays.
O Time! take love! When love is vain,
When all its best joys die —
When only its regrets remain —
Let love, too, fly.

Key Messages from this poem:

Time is fleeting, but love endures
The poem reminds us that while time moves swiftly, carrying us through life's changes and seasons, love remains a constant. It is a force that persists even as everything else transforms around us.

Love can be bittersweet
Wilcox explores the dual nature of love, describing it as sweet in its early stages but sometimes turning bitter with time. This reflection highlights the complexities of love and how it can bring both joy and pain as it weathers the years.

When love becomes burdensome, let it go
In the final stanza, the poet pleads for time to take love when it no longer brings happiness, when its joys have faded, leaving only regrets. This message encourages us to release love that no longer serves us and to embrace the freedom to move forward.

The poem beautifully captures the interplay between the inevitability of time and the enduring, yet evolving, nature of love.

Related Pages:

I Love Thee Poems - Explore timeless verses celebrating the depth and purity of love, perfectly complementing Time and Love's reflection on love’s enduring strength through the passage of time.

Short Valentine Poems - Discover short yet heartfelt poems that capture the essence of love, just like Time and Love reminds us of love’s ability to stay constant through life’s fleeting moments.

Poems About Being In Love -
Dive into poems that celebrate the joy and passion of being in love, echoing Time and Love’s theme of love’s sweetness, even as time moves forward.

What Is Love Poems -
Reflect on poems exploring the meaning of love, perfectly aligned with Time and Love's exploration of love’s complexities and its power to remain steadfast.

Best Love Poems -
Read a collection of the most cherished love poems, showcasing the beauty and challenges of love, much like Wilcox’s heartfelt insights in Time and Love.

Thinking of You Poems -
These poems share thoughts of love and connection, much like Time and Love reminds us of the presence of love through life’s seasons.

Short Love Quotes - Find inspiration in concise expressions of love, echoing the enduring message of Time and Love that love prevails even as time moves swiftly.

Time flies.....He takes away our trust and truth, And yet love stays.

More Famous Love Poems