John Webster’s 1623 tragedy The Duchess of Malfi includes the memorable line: “Glories, like glowworms, afar off shine bright, / But looked to near have neither heat nor light.” Much later, Stephen Crane expressed a similar idea in his poem A Man Saw a Ball of Gold in the Sky. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Neither Heat Nor Light”
You know, John Webster’s play, The Duchess of Malfi, written in 1623, is pretty dark.
But I do like this one couplet.
Glories like glowworms of far off shine bright, but looked too near, have neither heat nor light.
I think I understand that.
It’s a kind of a don’t look a gift horse in the mouth kind of.
The beauties of the world are best seen in the large and rather not in the microexamination.
I think they’re best seen far away.
You know, there’s that Stephen Crane poem about a man saw a ball of gold in the sky and he climbs up there and it’s brass or something like that.
Right, but from far away it’s a beautiful object.
Yeah, sometimes grass is greener on the other side.
Maybe that’s why.
That’s your glowworms or specks of light until you get up close and you’re like, oh, grubs.
Exactly. 877-929-9673.
