Lost love

Posted by Gary on April 09, 2002

In Reply to: Lost love posted by ESC on April 08, 2002

: : on this site it says it was originally from Butler... but wasn't it also in a poem by lord tennyson? which was first...?

: IT IS BETTER TO HAVE LOVED AND LOST, THAN NEVER TO HAVE LOVED AT ALL - "The pleasures of love are still greater than the pain of its loss. The saying was first used in this form by the English poet Alfred Tennyson , but has a precursor in a play by William Congreve.1700. It is better to have been left than never to have been loved - William Congreve, 'The Way of the World.' 1850 - 'Tis better to have loved and lost, Than never to have loved at all. --- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 'In Memorium.'" From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

Yes, that's right. I've checked the Butler attribution and it is incorrect. I'll update the entry in the database on this.

• Lost love masakim 04/09/02