Poems By William Bell Scott. Ballads, Studies from Nature, Sonnets, etc. Illustrated by Seventeen Etchings by the Author and L. Alma Tadema |
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| IV. | IV
GAIN AND LOSS.
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76
IV
GAIN AND LOSS.
Oft-times we consummate our fond desires,
Nor seldom does the strong man seize his prize,
But ere that day comes expectation dies;
Fruition is not like what Hope inspires,
No more than are the ashes like the fires
That shed them: when we start upon the road,
Arcadia blooms somewhere, the blest abode
Of nymphs and perfect men, till, by surprise,
Noon strikes the bell, and all around remains
The same sad commonplace; nor are we grieved,
Our staff unworn, our scrip with numerous gains
Refilled,—with Patience, cleansed eyes undeceived,
Silence of heart, meekness to match our fate;
Experience guides us on, but shuts the golden gate.
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