A cracked oval mirror stands beside wilted roses, a small lidded jar and pale lace on a dusty rose surface.

Original artwork, not a still

Cato • 1712

Joseph Addison

Beauty soon grows familiar to the lover, Fades in his eye, and palls upon the sense.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Beauty, says the speaker, loses its spark once the lover has seen it every day. What once dazzled becomes ordinary and even dull to the senses. It's a wistful, slightly cynical take on how familiarity dims attraction.

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