They are not long, the days of wine and roses

Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam

by Ernest Dowson

The brief sum of life forbids us the hope of enduring long. –Horace

They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,

Love and desire and hate:

I think they have no portion in us after

We pass the gate.

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:

Out of a misty dream

Our path emerges for a while, then closes

Within a dream.