And from youth to age it is labour in vain;
All that the length of his years can show
Is that wealth is trouble, and wisdom woe;
That he travels a path of care and strife
Who drinks of the poisoned cup of life!
Alas! if we murmur at things like these
That reflection tells us are wise decrees;
That the wind is not ever a gentle breath;
That existence is only the step towards death;
That the ocean wave is not always still;