< Seraphim

WITH AN HONEST OLD FRIEND.

With an honest old friend, and merry old song,
And a flask of old port, let me sit the night long,
And laugh at the malice of those who repine,
That they must swig porter, whilst I can drink wine

I (illegible text)ry no mortal, though ever so great,
Nor score I a wretch for his lowly estate;
But what I abhor, and esteem as a curse,
In poorness of spirit, not poorness in purse.

Then dare to be generous, dauntless, and gay,
Let's merrily pass life's remainder away:
Upheld by our friends, we our foes may despise,
For the more we are envied the higher rise.

——

This work was published before January 1, 1927, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

 
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.