Man (1911)

Man written by William Henry Davies

From "Songs of Joy", 1911

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I saw Time running by -
Stop, Thief! was all the cry.
I heard a voice say, Peace!
Let this vain clamour cease.
Can ye bring lightning back
That leaves upon its track
Men, horses, oak trees dead?
Canst bring back Time? it said.
There's nothing in Man's mind
Can catch Time up behind;
In front of that fast Thief
There's no one - end this grief.
Tut, what is Man? How frail!
A grain, a little nail,
The wind, a change of cloth -
A fly can give him death.
Some fishes in the sea
Are born to outlive thee,
And owls, and toads, and trees -
And is Man more than these?
I see Man's face in all
Things, be they great or small;
I see the face of him
In things that fly or swim;
One fate for all, I see -
Whatever that may be.
Imagination fits
Life to a day; though its
Length were a thousand years,
'Twould not decrease our fears;
What strikes men cold and dumb
Is that Death's time must come.

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