Freedom, Books, Flowers and the Moon

 With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy? ~ Oscar Wilde

High living in Ireland

Sued his lover's father

Prosecuted and imprisoned

Witnessed a hanging

Released from prison, receiving stipend from wife

Wrote Ballad of Reading Gaol

Panic attacks before initial printing for sale

Sold seven printings

Lived off proceeds until death

Had his freedom taken, lost all of his books to bankruptcy and smelled no flowers in prison.  He had the moon.  

Born 16 October 1854 and died at 46 years old on 30 November 1900

Lost it all but recovered in exile.

He lived, wrote and died during a time when freedom and books were outlawed for a segment of the population without time for flowers.  Ah but we had the moon:

The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. ~ I Corinthians 15:41