Ah Fate! cannot a man Be wise without a beard? From East to West, from Beersheba to Dan, Say, was it never heard, That wisdom might in youth be gotten, Or wit be ripe before 'twas rotten? He pays too high a price For knowledge and for fame, Who gives his sinews, to be wise, His teeth and bones, to buy a name, And crawls through life a paralytic, To earn the praise of bard and critic. Is it not better done, To dine and sleep through forty years, Be loved by few, be feared by none, Laugh life away, have wine for tears, And take the mortal leap undaunted, Content that all we asked was granted? But Fate will not permit The seed of gods to die, Nor suffer Sense to win from Wit Its guerdon in the sky, Nor let us hide, whate'er our pleasure, The world's light underneath a measure Go then, sad youth, and shine! Go, sacrifice to fame; Put love, joy, health, upon the shrine And life to fan the flame! Thy hapless self for praises barter, And die to Fame an honored martyr. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A DAY IN BED by KATHERINE MANSFIELD CLASS SONG (WHICH WILL BE SUNG ON THE 22ND OF FEBRUARY) by GEORGE SANTAYANA THE JEW TO JESUS by FLORENCE KIPER FRANK A SHROPSHIRE LAD: 9 by ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN IN LIGHTER VEIN by ELIZABETH KEMPER ADAMS |