Poems (Hoffman)/Character

​
CHARACTER
Oh! who would be flattered with praise undeservedOr with honors that are not his due?Oh! who in the curse of a hypocrite's garbWould friendship and fortune pursue?
Oh! who would be proud of a virtuous nameThat has not its fountain within?Oh! who would be proud of a record of fameDefiled by a record of sin?
Better to know that our motives are right,Though others may never applaud;Better to see all our fondest hopes blightThan be false to ourselves or our God.
Better to act with a noble designAnd drink slanders, wormwood and gall,Than be sung to the heavens for motives sublime,And know they were narrow and small.
Reputation may fade like a false, fickle dream,When we stand before God's judgment bar,But firm shall stand character (not what we seem)But just what we truly are.
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.