I “Poet! If on a Lasting Fame Be Bent”

Poet! if on a lasting fame be bent

Thy unperturbing hopes, thou will not roam

Too far from thine own happy heart and home;

Cling to the lowly earth, and be content!

So shall thy name be dear to many a heart;

So shall the noblest truths by thee be taught;

The flower and fruit of wholesome human thought

Bless the sweet labors of thy gentle art.

The brightest stars are nearest to the earth,

And we may track the mighty sun above,

Even by the shadow of a slender flower.

Always, O bard, humility is power!

And thou mayst draw from matters of the hearth

Truths wide as nations, and as deep as love.