ow soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stol’n on his wing my three-and-twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew’th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth
That I to manhood am arriv’d so near;
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits endu’th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure ev’n
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heav’n:
All is, if I have grace to use it so
As ever in my great Task-Master’s eye.
Now this may seem all doom and gloom but this poem is really an eye opener. Milton wrote this poem disheartened that he has let his youth go by so fast without any accomplishments or noteworthy occasions. Gr10s…take head…just as fast as it takes you to slip on your blazer…so too your time at Bergvliet will come to an abrupt end. Make the most of your time here so that when you reflect on your time at school you have a bank of memories. When you slip your blazer on I want you to memorise every second, the way it feels on your skin, the history that weighs on your shoulders and the responsibility you now take on as a senior member of this school.