Tuesday, April 30, 2019

An Amendment to Ella Wheeler Wilcox's "Solitude"

Laugh and the world laughs with you:
Weep, and you're not on your own;
For the sad old earth
Must borrow its mirth,
While your friends won't leave you alone.

Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is caught in the air;
The echoes bound
To a joyful sound,
But those you love truly do care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and true love won't go;
They want full measure
Of all your pleasure,
But one will carry your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many,
Be sad, and some might fall;
There are none to decline;
Your nectared wine,
But true friends will drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and your family come by;
Succeed and give,
And it helps you live,
But your family won't let you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train;
But together as one
We must all file on
Through the wide aisles of pain.



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