lastingness

The lightes, doores and staires, rather directed to the use of the guest, then to the eye of the Artificer: and yet as the one cheefly heeded, so the other not neglected; each place handsome without curiositie, and homely without lothsomnes: not so daintie as not to be trode on, nor yet slubberd up with good felowshippe: all more lasting then beautifull, but that the consideration of the exceeding lastingnesse made the eye beleeve it was exceeding beautifull.

The New Arcadia

c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC

The intercession of Christ, and the lastingness of it, is a sure token of the salvation of them that come unto God by him.

1692, John Bunyan, “Christ a Complete Saviour”, in George Offor, editor, Little Books by John Bunyan, published 1873, page 121

The Paradise Plums had dwindled substantially. So had the Mintips, a mint sweet with the elasticity and lastingness of rubber.

1961, V[idiadhar] S[urajprasad] Naipaul, chapter 4, in A House for Mr Biswas, Part One, Vintage International, published 2001

There are any number of components that can contribute to a noteworthy verse. From the style to the substance, from the writing to the delivery, a lot is at play to create a lasting verse and its performance. That, that lastingness, that memorability (“quotability” is the word often used), that’s probably the best barometer. Can an artist write a rhyme, and recite in a way, that everyone will always remember?

2013 February 23, Adam Fleischer, “The 13 Best Rap Verses of 2013”, in Complex, archived from the original on 06 May 2017