Poems (Hoffman)/Stones and Jewels of Fame
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STONES AND JEWELS OF FAME
Sometimes I think if I should write an ode,
To be, by every idler said or sung,
The jest and sport of every schoolboy's tongue,
Common as stones down-trodden in the road,
As poets oft have purchased deathless fame,
I should not be so pleased with my success,
As if some little gem of higher art
My hand might pen, the nobler few to bless,
The delving mind, the contemplative heart,
Stones for the many, jewels for the less.
To be, by every idler said or sung,
The jest and sport of every schoolboy's tongue,
Common as stones down-trodden in the road,
As poets oft have purchased deathless fame,
I should not be so pleased with my success,
As if some little gem of higher art
My hand might pen, the nobler few to bless,
The delving mind, the contemplative heart,
Stones for the many, jewels for the less.