When one is old one may forget The ills that sear the heart and fret The soul; old age may reconcile Griefs that exalt, joys that defile, And loves that leave the eyelids wet. Along life's backward track are set Gray crossway signals marked "Regret," At which dim eyes may gaze and smile, When one is old! How base will seem the quest we let Consume the years! The minaret Of fame's white temple, afterwhile, Will crown a lonely burial pile; And thus success and dust are met When one is old. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE LIFE SO SHORT by EAMON GRENNAN A SONG OF COURAGE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON |