When God’s wrath-cloud is o’er me,
Affrighting heart and mind;
When days seem dark before me,
And days seem black behind;
Those friends who think they know me —
Who deem their insight keen —
They ne’er forget to show me
The man I might have been.
He’s rich and independent,
Or rising fast to fame;
His bright star is ascendant,
The country knows his name;
His houses and his gardens
Are splendid to be seen;
His fault the wise world pardons —
The man I might have been.
His fame and fortune haunt me;
His virtues wave me back;
His name and prestige daunt me
When I would take the track;
But you, my friend true-hearted —
God keep our friendship green! —
You know how I was parted
From all I might have been.
But what avails the ache of
Remorse or weak regret?
We’ll battle for the sake of
The men we might be yet!
We’ll strive to keep in sight of
The brave, the true, and clean,
And triumph yet in spite of
The men we might have been.
(Henry Lawson)
More Poetry from Henry Lawson:
Henry Lawson Poems based on Topics: Man, Name, Mind, Countries, Courage, Sense & Perception, Wisdom & Knowledge, Fame- Ruth (Henry Lawson Poems)
- Mostly Slavonic (Henry Lawson Poems)
- With Dickens (Henry Lawson Poems)
- One Hundred and Three (Henry Lawson Poems)
- The Ballad of the Elder Son (Henry Lawson Poems)
- Brighten's Sister-In-Law [or The Carrier's Story] (Henry Lawson Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Mind Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Name Poems, Wisdom & Knowledge Poems, Courage Poems, Fame Poems, Countries PoemsBased on Keywords: independent, pardons, prestige, avails, daunt, true-hearted, ascendant, affrighting
- Advice To Ev'ry Master Of A Family, To Govern His House In A Religious Manner (Rees Prichard Poems)
- Otho The Great - Act III (John Keats Poems)
- The Turtle And Sparrow. An Elegiac Tale (Matthew Prior Poems)
- The Bas Bleu: Or, Conversation. Addressed To Mrs. Vesey (Hannah More Poems)
- The Heroic Enthusiasts: Part 2: Fifth Dialogue (Giordano Bruno Poems)