——Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Laugh,and the world laughs with you;
Weep,and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing,and the hills will answer;
Sigh,it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice,and men will seek you;
Grieve,and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need you woe.
Be glad,and your friends are many;
Be sad,and you lose them all-
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.
Feast,and your halls are crowded;
Fast,and the world goes by.
Succeed and give,and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.