SINCE you decreed That each hour of my life, Within the thread You weave, be vowed to strife 'Gainst odds insuperable—odds so set Me at my birth—be generous, and let Those odds endure. In savage mercy, send Me strife unto the end. Let each fresh day Bring toil and task to me, See me essay Yet one more difficulty, Obey my daimon, trust my inmost heart, Serve, slave, develop, offer all to Art ... Grant that, life-long, in utter faithfulness, I seek the same success. And this? @3What more Than to have given my best?@1 The sole in store For man. As for the rest, One boon I beg: that I, who in storm and stress Have lived, should not outlast my usefulness ... Spare me decline. As guerdon and as gift, Let Death, when due, come swift! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TRANSLUCENT FINGERS by MALCOLM COWLEY A MAN'S VOCATION IS NOBODY'S BUSINESS by JAMES GALVIN JOY (1) by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON MERELY STATEMENT by AMY LOWELL DOMESDAY BOOK: REV. PERCY FERGUSON by EDGAR LEE MASTERS THE PAST IS THE PRESENT (2) by MARIANNE MOORE |