University of Virginia Library

A warrior and a sage one day
Were sitting 'neath a shady tree,
The warrior said to sage so wise:
“What dost thou in thy wisdom see?
Thy fame is tame, so dull, so cold,
Without life's fire or its vim,
Without life's raptures, passions strong;
O sage, thy calling is so slim,
Why sittest thou and ponder long
All oe'r thy books so worn and old?
Oh, wake to greater missions, sage,
And seek for greater fame and gold.
Why dreameth all thy life away,
Among the stars far in the sky?
Come, follow me and wield a blade,
And fight for fame or bravely die.
What dost thou in thy wisdom see,
I ask thee o'er and o'er again?
Come, be like me and leave thy books,
And be like other strong, brave men.
We'll scale the walls that foeman build
And drag their kingdoms down to dust;
We'll ride with buckler, sword and lance,
And doom our foes to ruin and rust.
Our steeds will prance with warlike grace,
As through the cheering crowd we ride;
We'll surge along in fame, dear sage,
And wreck great kingdoms in our stride;
We'll face the bowman's sling and spear,
And make a name for history's page.
Oh, follow, sage, come follow me,
And be the hero of the age.”

“Ah, nay, ah, nay, you ask in vain;
My warlike friend, it cannot be,”
Said sage in answer to his call,
“For I in war no pleasure see.
We build the kingdoms that you'd pull
To ruin and want in endless waste;
We fashion weapons, keen and strong,
To guard our homes from wrathful haste;
We search the sky to mark the time;
We make all law in war's and peace;
A Nero's fame we do not wish,
But Plato's I'd much sooner lease.
Thy youthful blood doth leap for fame
To false ambition's mithy sphere,
But age and wisdom soon will come,
Then to their call you'll turn your ear.
Go on in war and learn its sting,
But mark its fast retreating step,
Which gives away to wisdom's lore,
For safe therein's war's secrets kept.