Beauty, sweet love, is like the morning dew, Whose short refresh

The poet Samuel Daniel, in his tender verse, speaks of the fragile and fleeting nature of both beauty and love: “Beauty, sweet love, is like the morning dew, Whose short refresh upon tender green, Cheers for a time, but till the sun doth show And straight is gone, as it had never been.” With these words, he gives voice to the truth that all things radiant are bound by time, and that the pleasures of the heart, though sweet, are often brief, vanishing like dew upon the grass at dawn. His imagery is not cruel, but wise; he does not curse the shortness of beauty, but teaches us to cherish its presence while it lasts.

The morning dew has always been a symbol of purity, freshness, and renewal. Yet even as it glistens like jewels upon the leaves, it begins to perish. It exists only in the cool shadow before the sun rises in its strength. Daniel likens this to love and beauty, which in youth shine brilliantly, giving joy and refreshment to the soul, but which time and circumstance inevitably dissolve. The lesson is not despair, but awareness: one must treasure what is fleeting, for its very impermanence makes it sacred.

History offers us many examples of this truth. Consider the tale of Helen of Troy, whose beauty was likened to the dawn itself, capable of launching a thousand ships. Her radiance inspired passion and war, yet how swiftly it faded into ruin and sorrow. The beauty that once seemed eternal was as fragile as the dew—glorious in its moment, but gone with the harsh light of time and consequence. So too, the passions that burn fiercely in youth often leave only memory when the seasons change.

But Daniel also speaks to the universal experience of love. How often do we find that romance, newly awakened, fills the heart with delight—a smile, a kiss, a moment of bliss beneath the stars—only to fade when tested by the harder light of daily life? The lover feels as though the joy was a dream, a shadow, "as it had never been." Yet here is wisdom: the brevity does not rob it of meaning. The dew may vanish, but for the tender grass it touches, it has already given refreshment. In the same way, even short-lived love can leave behind nourishment for the soul, a memory that shapes us forever.

This truth is echoed in the life of John Keats, another poet of England, who loved deeply and briefly before dying young. His romance with Fanny Brawne was a passion filled with longing, yet cruelly shortened by illness. Still, his letters and verses show that the fleetingness of their union did not erase its power. Like the dew, it was gone swiftly, but in its moment, it gave such sweetness that it endures still in his immortal poetry.

Thus, Daniel calls us not to lament, but to live with reverence. If beauty is brief, then let us see it while it shines. If love may fade, then let us give ourselves wholly while it lasts. The heart must not grow bitter at the passing of joy but grow wise in treasuring its presence. The dew teaches us gratitude for the moment rather than sorrow for its brevity.

Practical action arises from this lesson: seek beauty each day, even knowing it will pass. Love openly and honestly, even if tomorrow it may be gone. Do not clutch with fear, but embrace with gratitude. Tell those you love what they mean to you; watch the sunrise as though it were your last; hold fleeting joys as treasures beyond price. For when the sun rises and the dew dissolves, you will not grieve its loss but rejoice that you witnessed its glory.

Therefore, remember the ancient wisdom in Daniel’s verse: “Beauty, sweet love, is like the morning dew.” Do not curse its shortness, but bless its radiance. For the fleeting things are often the most precious, and in learning to honor them, we learn to live.