To a Contemporary

To a Contemporary written by William Henry Davies

From "A Poet's Calendar", 1927

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By my fast horse that knows no rest
And, like its rider, never tires;
By my strong concentration, which
Shall take me where my heart desires;
By my great power to stand transfixed
At beauty, when my mind commands it;
By my strong faith that I'll not fail
At morning, noon or night to find it;
By my desire for longer life,
My ecstacy^(sic!) in mortal breath;
By all my healthy hate and fear
In thinking of the hour of death;
By all this joy, by this content,
By all my faith in what I plan;
By all these all-sufficing friends -
How can I envy any man?
True to a heart that joy makes kind,
And praising things of little worth;
Still giving praise where none is due -
No greater liar walks the earth.

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