Ballads and Lyrical poems :: :: University of Virginia Library

When at the social board you sit,
And pass around the wine,
Remember, though abuse is vile,
That use may be divine:
That Heaven, in kindness, gave the grape
To cheer both great and small—
That little fools will drink too much,
But great ones not at all.

II

And when in youth's too fleeting hours
You roam the earth alone,
And have not sought some loving heart
That you may make your own:—
Remember woman's priceless worth,
And think, when pleasures pall—
That little fools will love too much,
But great ones not at all.

III

And if a friend deceived you once,
Absolve poor human kind,
Nor rail against your fellow-man
With malice in your mind;

But in your daily intercourse,
Remember, lest you fall—
That little fools confide too much,
But great ones not at all.

IV

In weal or woe be trustful still;
And in the deepest care
Be bold and resolute, and shun
The coward foe Despair.
Let work and hope go hand in hand;
And know, whate'er befall—
That little fools may hope too much,
But great ones not at all.

V

In work or pleasure, love or drink,
Your rule be still the same—
Your work not toil, your pleasure pure,
Your love a steady flame;
Your drink not maddening, but to cheer;—
So shall your bliss not pall,
For little fools enjoy too much,
But great ones not at all.