Painterly two gold wedding rings resting over overlapping chalk circles on a dark slate surface.

Original artwork, not a still

The Old Bachelor

William Congreve

Thus grief still treads upon the heels of pleasure; Married in haste, we may repent at leisure.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Pleasure is quickly followed by sorrow, the lines warn, and those who wed hastily may spend a long time regretting it. The rhyme gives the caution a tidy, proverb-like ring: impulsive commitment risks lasting remorse once excitement fades.

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