“Hope, like the gleaming taper’s light,

Adorns and cheers our way;

And still, as darker grows the night,

Emits a brighter ray.”

Oliver Goldsmith, The Captivity, An Oratorio

Do you need something to teach?  Right now?

Have your students paraphrase the above quote.  And perhaps do some biographical inquiries.  Goldsmith was a friend to another famous writer.