Page 90 Transcribed: Poem- The way of the world
The way of the world
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For this brave old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.
Feast, and all your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is a room in the halls of pleasure
for a long and lordy train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
Posts
Quite a famous poem... it wasn't called "The Way of The World" as Lina has written though. It was simply called "Laugh, and the world laughs with you".
ReplyDeleteI have conflicting information about who wrote it but it seems most likely it was written by John A. Joyce. You can read it as originally published here - http://www.archive.org/stream/fiftyyearsprinte00cubeiala/fiftyyearsprinte00cubeiala_djvu.txt
Though I've only started reading these entries, I am already a fan of this blog and can't wait to continue the journey. I'm going to have to start back at ur first entry to catch up. But WOW! How cool to have found such an amazing notbook.
ReplyDelete