O sodeyn wo, that evere art successour
To worldly blisse, spreynd with bitternesse,
The ende of the joye of oure worldly labour!
Wo occupieth the fyn of oure gladnesse.
Herke this conseil for thy sikernesse:
Upon thy glade day have in thy mynde
The unwar wo or harm that comth bihynde.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The Man of Law comments that woe always follows joy, as the marriage feast ends in the slaughter of the Sultan and all the Christians except Constance. He is expressing the idea that even as we enjoy our greatest bliss and good fortune, we are vulnerable and death will end the celebration of life.