I.
Man! weak insect, poor and proud,
Atom, lost amid the crowd,
Ever pushing on through life
Buffeted by sinful strife,—
Man! mere drop of all those seas,
Leaf among the forest trees,
Paltry pebble on the shore
Heap’d on myriad myriads more,—
Man! mean item in the list,
Hardly counted, little miss’d,
Unconsider’d and unknown,
Lightly cared for, left alone,
Daily toiling in thy lot,
And, when dead, remember’d not,—
Man! how evil is thy state,
Cold, and stern, and desolate!
II.
Man! rare chrysalis of Light
Watch’d and nurst by angels bright,
Heir of Grandeurs! soon to be
Ripen’d and reveal’d in thee,—
Man! true claimant of the Skies,
Owner of Creation’s prize,
Waiting mek at Glory’s door,
King among ten thousand more,—
Man! great end of all beside,
To the LORD OF ALL allied,—
Undiscover’d lump of gold,
Spring unseal’d of joys untold,
In thy duties daily blest,
And — when all are done — at Rest;
Man! how beauteous and divine
In this low estate of thine!
(Martin Farquhar Tupper)
More Poetry from Martin Farquhar Tupper:
Martin Farquhar Tupper Poems based on Topics: Man, Joy & Excitement, Light, Kings & Queens, Nature, Gold, Success, Good & Evil, Spring, Matter, Insects- My Ode And Three Sonnets (As First Published On The Coronation Of Queen Victoria, June 28, 1838) (Martin Farquhar Tupper Poems)
- Waterloo (A Ballad For The Soldier) (Martin Farquhar Tupper Poems)
- Shakspeare. (An Ode For His Three-Hundredth Birthday) (Martin Farquhar Tupper Poems)
- Liberty - Equality - Fraternity! (Martin Farquhar Tupper Poems)
- A Dirge For Wellington (Martin Farquhar Tupper Poems)
- Imagination (Suggested By An Ideal Portrait) (Martin Farquhar Tupper Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Light Poems, Nature Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Kings & Queens Poems, Success Poems, Gold Poems, Spring Poems, Good & Evil Poems, Insects Poems, Matter PoemsBased on Keywords: strife-, mek, grandeurs, undiscover, claimant, unconsider