Ere you have spent these moments sweet.
Second by second each hour is paid,
And little by little fortunes are made.
Life is a wind, a shadow, and dust,
Man is a mortal and perish he must.
Two forces man may not deride,
The flight of time and strength of tide.
First recognize that life is short.
Then live each day as all men ought.
God through the senses gives to all,