and if I laugh at
any mortal thing, it is
that I may not weep
The actual line from the poem Don Juan by George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron FRS (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) is:
And if I laugh at any mortal thing,
‘Tis that I may not weep.
(Don Juan (1819–24) canto 4, st. 4 – btw FRS means Fellow of the Royal Society)
I had to change ’tis to ‘it is’ to fit what I call Haiku.
My blog my rules.
You can read the “What is …” section for further discussion on this point.
It is said that Abraham Lincoln read a lot of Byron.
Mr. Lincoln read a lot of Byron and then used it as inspiration but with an understanding of his audience.
Where Lord Byron writes:
And if I laugh at any mortal thing,
‘Tis that I may not weep.
Mr. Lincoln said that he felt … “Somewhat like the boy in Kentucky who stubbed his toe while running to see his sweetheart. The boy said he was too big to cry, and far too badly hurt to laugh.“
No Haiku For You 