WHAT is the earliest task of woe
Our nature struggles with below?
Oh! when does man begin to learn
Of human lot the lesson stern?
Ere thought is born, ere reason’s pow’r
Has brac’d our nerves to meet the hour,
Comes sorrow with her aspect sour!
The yearning lip of babyhood
Is cheated of its native food,
Snatch’d from the fond and fost’ring breast
That yielded nutriment and rest,
In vain the little hands are spread,
The unavailing tear is shed,
That weaned infancy may guess
How tastes the bread of bitterness!
Advanc’d in life’s maturer season,
And grown in stature, strength, and reason,
Go, ask the proud adult, he’ll own
The same hard lesson bids him groan.
‘Tis weaning still, in vain he’d cling
To some belov’d, forbidden thing,
E’en man, the food he loves must yield,
And bend to Fate, a weaned child!
In vain he’ll fret, resist, repine
Fate mocks the coil man must resign!
Cradled he lies on pleasure’s breast,
By flattery sooth’d, by hope caress’d,
Till cold conviction opes his eyes
To life’s austere realities:
The irksome hints by reason given,
The thorn by disappointment driven,
Love’s treasons, all assist the plan,
All help to wean presumptuous man!
One after one, his joys are reft,
Till life, and only life is left;
Then time, who ne’er the remnant spares,
Brings death to wean him from his cares!
(Margaret Holford)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Man Poems, Life Poems, Mind Poems, Time Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Thought & Thinking Poems, Fate & Destiny Poems, Pleasure Poems, Reasoning Poems, Food PoemsBased on Keywords: treasons, nutriment, fost, babyhood, brac, weaning