Passionate thirst for gain never hath burnt within his bosom,
The leaden chains of that dull lust have not bound him prisoner:
The shrewd world laughed at him for honesty, the vain world mouthed at him for honour,
The false world hated him for truth, the cold world despised him for affection:
Still, he kept his treasure, the warm and noble heart,
And in that happy wise old man survive the child and lover.
For human Life is as Chian wine, flavoured unto him who drinketh it,
Delicate fragrance comforting the soul, as needful substance for the body:
Therefore, see thou art pure and guileless; so shall thy Realities of Life
Be sweetened, and tempered, and gladdened by the wholesome spirit of Romance.