Cant

The Nature Lover written by William Henry Davies

From "Secrets", 1924

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What cant, oh, what hypocrisy
   Is centred in this life of man!
Self-preservation is his God,
   And has been, since his life began.
He sits to breakfast with no care
   Of others that have none;
He keeps more idle rooms than two,
   While families live in one;
He saves his gold, and yet he sees
   Others without a penny;
He hoards his clothes, and knows full well
   Of children without any.
He makes his own sweet life secure,
   And then - to crown all this -
Insults a God by thinking he'll
   Get everlasting bliss!

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.