"Lasting! what's lasting?
The earth that swims so well, must drown in fire,
And Time be last to perish at the stake.
The heavens must parch; the universe must smoulder.
Nothing but thoughts can live, and such thoughts only
As god-like are, making God's recreation."
From
Life in the Sick-Room, published anonymously by Harriet Martineau in 1874. The poem was attributed to I. Knowe.