WHAT men gain fairly, that they should possess; And children may inherit idleness, From him who earns it -- this is understood; Private injustice may be general good. But he who gains by base and armed wrong, Or guilty fraud, or base compliances, May be despoiled; even as a stolen dress Is stripped from a convicted thief, and he Left in the nakedness of infamy. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...IN EARLIEST SPRING by WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS THE DONG WITH A LUMINOUS NOSE by EDWARD LEAR WOODEN WHEELS by LOWELL C. BALLARD THE CHURCH OF THE REVOLUTION by HEZEKIAH BUTTERWORTH BLANK MISGIVINGS OF A CREATURE MOVING ABOUT IN WORLDS NOT REALIZED: 2 by ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH |