Could I but leave men wiser by my song, <br />And somewhat happier in their little day, <br />Wean them from things that lure but to betray, <br />Make the harsh gentle, and the feeble strong, <br />Shunning the paths where pride and folly throng, <br />Then would I carol all the livelong day, <br />And, as the golden sunset waned to grey, <br />With vesper voice my twilight hour prolong. <br />But now they hear me heedlessly, or pass, <br />With hurrying steps, to pomp's ambitious strife <br />But with chagrin and disappointment rife, <br />And shadows fleeting as one's breath on glass, <br />Still with foiled feet and baffled hopes, alas! <br />Lost in the long vain labyrinth of Life.<br /><br />Alfred Austin<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/could-i-but-leave-men-wiser-by-my-song/
