... stand unnoticed in the regal hall, 135 Fast falling to decay; whilst falsehood's trade Shall be as hateful and unprofitable As that of truth is now. Where is the fame Which the vainglorious mighty of the earth Seek to eternize? Oh! the faintest sound 140 From Time's light footfall, the minutest wave That swells the flood of ages, whelms in nothing The unsubstantial bubble. Ay! today Stern is the tyrant's mandate, red the gaze That flashes desolation, strong the arm 145 That scatters multitudes. To-morrow comes! ... — The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley Volume I • Percy Bysshe Shelley
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