Poems (Hoffman)/Defects

by Martha Lavinia Hoffman

DEFECTS

The surface of polished metalIs marred by a speck of rust,And a lily's pure, white petalIs stained by a touch of dust,And the white bird's wings are spottedShould he trail them once in the fen,And the clear, white page is blottedBy one careless turn of the pen;

The sculptor's work upliftedBy a hasty stroke is defaced,And the work of years is riftedBy a moment's careless haste;The purest in form or colorIs spoiled by a line, a stain,In the more imperfect and dullerDefects do not show so plain.

Then learn that the mind's bright metalIs marred by a touch of rust,Then dip not thy soul's white petalOnce low in the mire and dust,And trail not thy wings so spotlessIn the murky depths of the fen;Would the page of thy life be blotless,Then write with a careful pen.

For the character slowly erectedMay be crushed by a hasty blow,And the symmetry years have perfectedOne moment may lay it low,And the world that with look upgazingHas stared at thy stainless name,Perhaps with no word of praising,Will cover thy past with blame.