A wonderfully illustrated edition of Young's 'Night Thoughts' or also sometimes called 'The Complaint'. It is a long poem in blank verse and describes the poet's thoughts on death across nine parts or nine different nights where he reflects on the loss of his wife, friends and ponders the absurdity and delicacy of human life. between 1742 and 1745. The poem was written in blank verse between 1742 and 1745 and describes the poet's musings over a series of nine "nights" in which he ponders the loss of his wife and friends, and laments human frailties. The best-known line in the poem (at the end of "Night I") is the adage "procrastination is the thief of time", which is part of a passage in which the poet discusses how quickly life and opportunities can slip away. Night-Thoughts had a very high reputation for many years after its publication. In 1736 the English poet and playwright Edward Young was traveling through France with his family when his stepdaughter, Elizabeth Temple, died at Lyons. Forbidden to inter her remains in the city’s Catholic cemetery because of their religion, he was obliged to seek out the Protestant burial ground in the middle of the night. His romantic and indelibly sombre poem goes into the silva obscura of an 18th century's mind relating the story, The Complaint, or Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality (1742–45), was especially popular during the period of the French Revolution. This edition includes 14 full page, black & white steel engravings and a title page vignette which convey the mood and melancholy of Young's poem. Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 13.5, W: 21.8 (Units: cm), W: 1Kg.