83
"Facilis Descensus Averni."
When I was new and all unspoiled,
O how I loved examinations!
With what unflagging zeal I toiled!
With what incessant labour soiled
My books! how high my spirit boiled!
Till—notwithstanding regulations—
At times the surreptitious oil 'd
Assist my midnight lucubrations:
And how my very soul recoiled
At any thought of being foiled
By other people's machinations.
O how I loved examinations!
With what unflagging zeal I toiled!
With what incessant labour soiled
My books! how high my spirit boiled!
Till—notwithstanding regulations—
At times the surreptitious oil 'd
Assist my midnight lucubrations:
And how my very soul recoiled
At any thought of being foiled
By other people's machinations.
Thus, thus the unsuspecting youth
Sets forth upon the task of life,
His zeal for seeking abstract truth
Is sharpened by his love of strife;
High rise his hopes—his earliest half
Gleig's Wellington in yellow calf,
And Creasy's Battles, side by side,
Excite his own, his parents' pride.
But hopes are vain, pride hollow:
The sequel of my tale abide,
And mark what needs must follow.
Sets forth upon the task of life,
His zeal for seeking abstract truth
Is sharpened by his love of strife;
High rise his hopes—his earliest half
Gleig's Wellington in yellow calf,
And Creasy's Battles, side by side,
Excite his own, his parents' pride.
But hopes are vain, pride hollow:
The sequel of my tale abide,
And mark what needs must follow.
