Work or Reflection
Now, I always have preserved a certain attitude
Quite definite in reference to Work—
('Tis futility concealing
That I have the Weary Feeling
And tendency perennial to shirk)—
Still, I always strive to recognize the principle
That earnest, steady toil is ever best;
So that, having recognized it,
Not to say idealized it,
I would fain lay down my pen and take a rest.
For, you understand, to recognize a principle
Is patently a virtue in itself.
After that you have the option,
Of its strenuous adoption,
Or the placing of it gently on a shelf.
For myself, I'm forced to own that though my theory's
A thing of beauty, even in the rough,
Dearth of cash supplies good reasons,
With the passing of the seasons,
That this simple recognition's not enough.
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