The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe Household Edition : with illustrations |
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PROVIDENCE IMPARTIAL.
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 | The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe |  |
PROVIDENCE IMPARTIAL.
A FABLE.
An old Hellenic saw declaresThe gods, who govern men's affairs
Impartial (grumble as we may),
For all their favors make us pay
According to their special worth:
Wealth, honor, beauty, noble birth,
Has each its price; and still the higher
The gift, the more the gods require!
Hence, let not foolish pride inflate
The seeming favorites of Fate.
A Fir-tree, very large and tall,
That grew beside a Bramble small,
Was boasting of his strength and size:
“What houses I would make!” he cries;
“While you are simply good for naught,
Unworthy of the Woodman's thought!”
“True!” said the Bramble; “but reflect!—
If he were here, would you elect
(Think of his axe, and tell me, sir)
To be a Bramble or a Fir?”
| The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe | |