Who in 1840–1841 wrote: “Life is a waste of wearisome hours, Which seldom the rose of enjoyment adorns; And, the heart that is soonest awake to the flowers, Is always the first to be touch'd by the thorns.”?

In The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore collected by himself (10 vols.) (1840–1841), a volume has Moore's phrase: “Life is a waste of wearisome hours, Which seldom the rose of enjoyment adorns; And, the heart that is soonest awake to the flowers, Is always the first to be touch'd by the thorns.”

As an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, Moore who lived from May 1779 until February 25,1852 is now best remembered for the Irish lyrics of "The Minstrel Boy" and "The Last Rose of Summer".

Also, scholars and critics have subsequently stated that with George Gordon, Lord Byron, and Sir Walter Scott, Moore embodied British Romanticism not only for the British and the Irish, but also for Americans and Europeans. So popular was he that during his life several publishers advanced him extraordinary sums of money on the promise that he would have a very active pen and work extremely hard.

It was also said that he wrote too much and catered too deliberately to his audience to ever reach the heights attained by the major Romantic poets of his day. But, his efforts on behalf of his friends place him, with Samuel Rogers, among the great humanists of the Romantic period.