Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Solitude by Mrs. Ella


Solitude

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow it's 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 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 room in the halls of pleasure

For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain. 

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, published on February 25, 1883