LIFE is made up of vanities -- so small, So mean, the common history of the day, -- That mockery seems the sole philosophy. Then some stern truth starts up -- cold, sudden, strange; And we are taught what life is by despair: -- The toys, the trifles, and the petty cares, Melt into nothingness -- we know their worth; The heart avenges every careless thought, And makes us feel that fate is terrible. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...GOLD-OF-OPHIR ROSES by GRACE ATHERTON DENNEN VERSES WHY BURNT by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR WHEN THE COWS COME HOME by AGNES E. MITCHELL MARCHING (AS SEEN FROM THE LEFT FILE) by ISAAC ROSENBERG BASE DETAILS by SIEGFRIED SASSOON |