LIFE is made up of vanities -- so small, So mean, the common history of the day, -- That mockery seems the sole philosophy. Then some stern truth starts up -- cold, sudden, strange; And we are taught what life is by despair: -- The toys, the trifles, and the petty cares, Melt into nothingness -- we know their worth; The heart avenges every careless thought, And makes us feel that fate is terrible. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AN EXPLANATION by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON A NEW HYMN by KATHERINE MANSFIELD THE FUN HOUSE FABLE by KAREN SWENSON |