TO TOUCH THE CUP with eager lips and taste, not drain it; To woo and tempt and court a bliss -- and not attain it; To fondle and caress a joy, yet hold it lightly, Lest it become necessity and cling too tightly; To watch the sun set in the west without regretting; To hail its advent in the east -- the night forgetting; To smother care in happiness and grief in laughter; To hold the present close -- not questioning hereafter; To have enough to share -- to know the joy of giving; To thrill with all the sweets of life -- is living. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SEVEN TWILIGHTS: 2 by CONRAD AIKEN DE LITTLE PICKANINNY'S GONE TO SLEEP by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON THE BURIAL OF BOSTON CORBETT (ONE WARDEN TO ANOTHER) by EDGAR LEE MASTERS NORTH WIND TO DUTIFUL BEAST MIDWAY BETWEEN DIAL & FOOT OF GARDEN CLOCK by MARIANNE MOORE |