IF gold could lengthen life, I swear, It then should be my chiefest care To get a heap; that I might say, When death came to demand his pay, Thou, slave, take this, and go thy way. But since life is not to be bought, Why should I plague myself for nought; Or foolishly disturb the skies With vain complaints, or fruitless cries? For if the fatal destinies Have all decreed it shall be so, What good will gold or crying do? Give me, to ease my thirsty soul, The joys and comforts of the bowl; Freedom and health, and, whilst I live, Let me not want what love can give: Then shall I die in peace, and have This consolation in the grave, That once I had the world my slave. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: DIPPOLD THE OPTICIAN by EDGAR LEE MASTERS TO THE SHADE OF PO CHU-I by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS HOME-THOUGHTS, FROM ABROAD by ROBERT BROWNING A TRAGIC STORY by ADELBERT VON CHAMISSO A MUSICAL by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR AT SUNSET TIME by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR |