468. Memory

Oliver Goldsmith. 1728-1774


O MEMORY, thou fond deceiver,
  Still importunate and vain,
To former joys recurring ever,
  And turning all the past to pain:

Thou, like the world, th' oppress'd oppressing,
  Thy smiles increase the wretch's woe:
And he who wants each other blessing
  In thee must ever find a foe.

The Oxford Book of English Verse, HTML edition