So you've a "quick" temper, lad, you say? You don't seem to mind it, anyway, Or you wouldn't admit it so jauntily; But what do you mean by it now, let's see? You lose it so easily, you say? Well, so does that knife I whetted today. It was cheap and its mettle is poor, that's why I can't keep it sharp, however I try. It's easy to nick, and softest wood Turns its edge. The thing's no good! If little annoyances ruffle you And big ones rile you through and through, If roughness turns your spirit rough, The mettle you're made of is soft—poor stuff. No use to dodge it or try to hedge; @2Tempered@1 mettle holds its edge! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...HYBRIDS OF WAR: A MORALITY POEM: 2. CAMBODIA by KAREN SWENSON THE FLYING DUTCHMAN by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON BEAUTIFUL SNOW by JOHN WHITAKER WATSON THE AUTHOR'S PARTING ADDRESS TO THE MUSE by BERNARD BARTON |