These pearls of thought in Persian gulfs were bred,
Each softly lucent as a rounded moon;
The diver, Omar, plucked them from their bed,
Fitzgerald strung them on an English thread.
J. R. Lowell (On Omar Khayyam).
It is hard for us to live up to our own eloquence, and keep pace with our winged words, while we are treading the solid earth and are liable to heavy dining.
George Eliot (Daniel Deronda).