The Way Of The World

Laugh, and the world laughs with you,
Weep, and you weep alone,
For the brave old earth must borrow its mirth—
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing and the hills will answer,
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes rebound to a joyful sound
And shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you,
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of your pleasure,
But they do not want your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many,
Be sad, and you lose them all;
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded,
Fast, and the world goes by.
Forget and forgive—it helps you to live,
But no man can help you to die;
There's room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one, we must all march on
Through the narrow isle of pain.

Laugh and the world laughs with you * Where There's A Will * Reading And Writing * Death of Socrates * What is Good? * A Fool's Prayer * We Must Be Equal * There Is No Place Like Home * The Village Blacksmith * Intimations of Immortality *

Some would ask in a sneer upon coming here, "How much wisdom can one learn from a fool, or a blacksmith?" I would respond softly, speaking only from experience that: "I've learned more from a fool working on his knees than from a haughty professor's chilling breeze.

"I tell you, and it is true: There is no simple work, only those that will never recognize genius. You would laugh and think that ANYONE can dig a ditch, and yes, anyone can, but will it stand for centuries like those of the ohokum?

"I watched a simple soul for days and weeks before I understood it all and I treasure still that glorious skill that brought us precious water from spring until fall."

Lin Stone

THE WAY OF THE WORLD

THE WAY
OF THE WORLD