Blessed is he who hath not trod the ways Of secular delights, nor learned the lore Which loftier minds are studious to abhor: Blessed is he who hath not sought the praise That perishes, the rapture that betrays; Who hath not spent in Time's vainglorious war His youth; and found, a schoolboy at four-score, How fatal are those victories which raise Their iron trophies to a temple's height On trampled Justice, who desires not bliss, But peace; and yet when summoned to the fight, Combats as one who combats in the sight Of God and of His angels, seeking this Alone, how best to glorify the right. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE HOUR OF DEATH by FELICIA DOROTHEA HEMANS SEVEN TIMES FOUR [ - MATERNITY] by JEAN INGELOW ST. ISAAC'S CHURCH, PETROGRAD by CLAUDE MCKAY THE FOURTH OF JULY by JOHN PIERPONT PARAPHRASE ON THOMAS A KEMPIS by ALEXANDER POPE THE AUTHOR'S EPITAPH, MADE BY HIMSELF by WALTER RALEIGH |