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AN OPTIMIST
"O AGED man, pray, if you know,
Now answer me the truth!—
Which of the gifts that gods bestow
Is the greatest gift of youth?
"O aged man, I have far to fare
By the divers paths of Earth,
Which of the gifts I with me bear
Is the gift of the greatest worth?
"Is it the might of the good right arm,
Whereby I shall make my way
Where dangers threaten and evils harm,
Holding them still at bay?
"Is it the strength wherewith I shall climb
Where few before have trod—
To the mountain-tops, the peaks sublime
That glow in the smile of the god?
"Is it the never-failing will,
Invincible in might,
Which armed against oppression still
Shall vanquish for the right?
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