 | Poems |  |
137
LIFE.
Would you live as some do liveListen to the laws they give;—
Ere you act the sordid part
Drain the warm blood from your heart;
In your eye scorch up the tear;
Stamp upon your cheek a sneer;
Lie and cozen, fawn and cringe,
Cheat and chuckle; let the hinge
Of your knee be quick to move
At a look from those above;
And for those that are beneath
Angry curses 'twixt the teeth,
And blows and frownings be their share
Who dare be poor, and breathe God's air!
Cram thy coffers—good or ill,
The means are nothing, so they fill.
Break oath and faith; though some may curse,
The world smiles—thou art nothing worse.
138
Laugh at their earnest hopes of heaven;
So shalt thou live and thrive the best—
The grave-worm wotteth all the rest!
| Poems | |