Pansies (Lawrence)/Vitality

​

VITALITY
Alas, my poor young mendo you lack vitality?
Has the shell grown too heavy for the tortoise?Does he just squirm?
Is the frame of things too heavyfor poor young wretched men?Do they jazz and jump and wriggleand rush about in machinesand listen to bodiless noisesand cling to their thin young womenas to the last straw ​just in desperation,because their spirit can't move?Because their hope is pinned down by the systemand can't even flutter?Wellwell,ifitissoitisso;but remember, the undaunted godsgive vitality still to the dauntless.
And sometimes they give it as love,ah love, sweet love, not so easy!But sometimes they give it as lightning.
And it's no good wailing for loveif they only offer you lightning.And it's no good mooning for sloppy easewhen they're holding out the thunderboltfor you to take.
You might as well take the lightningfor once, and feel it go through you,You might as well accept the thunderboltand prepare for storms.
You'll not get vitality any other way.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.