Thy aim, thy aim? 'Mid the dust dearth and din, An exception wouldst win By some deed shall ignite the acclaim? Then beware, and prepare thee Lest Envy ensnare thee, And yearning be sequelled by shame. But strive bravely on, yet on and yet on, Let the goal be won; Then if, living, you kindle a flame, Your guerdon will be but a flower, Only a flower, The flower of repute, A flower cut down in an hour. But repute, if this be too tame, And, dying, you truly ennoble a name ''" Again but a flower! Only a flower, A funeral flower, A blossom of Dis from Proserpine's bower ''" The belated funeral flower of fame | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WHAT I'VE BELIEVED IN by JAMES GALVIN THE SCHRECKHORN by THOMAS HARDY THE ARGUMENT OF HIS BOOK by ROBERT HERRICK WALT WHITMAN'S CAUTION by WALT WHITMAN A SONG OF PROGRESS by ALEXANDER ANDERSON BRITANNIA TO COLUMBIA by ALFRED AUSTIN MAGUS MUIR by WILLIAM EDMONSTOUNE AYTOUN ON THE BACKWARDNESS OF THE SPRING 1771 by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD |