1816–1902. English poet. { Encyclopedia Britannica }
At a Glance
Festus: A Poem (1839 poem)
We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives
Who thinks most—feels the noblest—acts the best.
Life’s but a means unto an end—that end,
Beginning, mean and end to all things—God. (p. 49)
Rilla of Ingleside, chapter 5 (“we should count time by heart-throbs”).
Source
Philip James Bailey, Festus: A Poem, fifth edition (London: Chapman and Hall, 1854). Online at https://archive.org/details/festuspoem00bailuoft/.