 | The Poems of Mackenzie Bell |  |
131
THE PHILOSOPHY OF FREQUENT FAILURE.
In Youth's glad morning hours of strenuous lifeGreat contemplations often fill the mind
With noblest aspirations, while it seems
To us, as yet scarce touched by sordid care
And blighting prejudice, quite possible
Through our unaided strength to win at last
Some shining goal which glitters in our sight—
A goal which, when 'twas won, would crown with good
The Universal Brotherhood of Man.
But as the years roll on we find the dream
Less easy of fulfilment,—for we feel
Our ardour less intense—our weary feet
Glide gently into that poor old-world groove
We so despised of yore,—and we are fain
To use fast-failing energy in strife
'Gainst daily troubles; higher aims forgotten.
| The Poems of Mackenzie Bell | |