Poems (Rumell)/Vanity
VANITY
OH the vanity we feel, in the race we run!The wisdom we gain, the good deeds done!The peacock within us, that shortens our view,Would tell us, we, give the world something new.
The old prophet hath long told us, in Ecclesiaste,"The things that hath been, is that which shall be,That which hath been done, is what shall be done,And that there is no new thing under the sun."
The power within, that drives us on, is the same,That, perhaps, long ago, drove Abel and CainTo deny their God, and fight brother gainst brother.Which we have seen in past wars, and may in another.
The visions, we have, the great courage, the hope,Are no different, perhaps, except in their scope,From that, which found place, in the heart and mind,Of the Apostles, the prophets. and all of mankind.
The burdens and grief that like a hand, grip our heart,Seems of each generation, to have been a part.Each must know his Gethsemane, and drain the cup,Of material life, or existence, ere he be lifted up.
Is the past to you a mystery, the future a blank?The present a burden, for which you cannot give thank?Be of goood courage, give not self pity, a home,You are but running the race, each generation has run.
All your hates, loves, joys, sorrows, and grief,Each earth life must know, be it long or brief.What matters, the problems one finds, as one mounts,It is only the way we solve them, that counts.