Edward Young’s The Complaint, or, Night-Thoughts on…

Edward Young’s The Complaint, or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death and Immortality: Night the First, is published anonymously in 1742.

The poem, written in blank verse, describes the poet's musings on death over a series of nine "nights" (published between 1742 and 1745) in which he ponders the loss of his wife and friends, and laments human frailties.

The best-known line in the poem 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.