Original artwork, not a still
Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Dryden says even heaven can't rewrite what has already happened. The past is fixed, and the speaker takes comfort that they've already had their hour. It's a calm, almost defiant acceptance of time's one-way road.
Context reviewed
