TO J.W.
23 lines✦
et not thy foot on graves;Hear what wine and roses say;The mountain chase, the summer waves,The crowded town, thy feet may well delay. Set not thy foot on graves;Nor seek to unwind the shroudWhich charitable TimeAnd Nature have allowedTo wrap the errors of a sage sublime. Set not thy foot on graves;Care not to strip the deadOf his sad ornament,His myrrh, and wine, and rings, His sheet of lead,And trophies buried:Go, get them where he earned them when alive;As resolutely dig or dive. Life is too short to wasteIn critic peep or cynic bark,Quarrel or reprimand:'T will soon be dark;Up! mind thine own aim, andGod speed the mark!
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