ENMITY
Say, of what mortal use is enmity?Hast thou not seen two midget ants in strife,Contending o’er the petal in the vale,—See how they toil and sweat, and struggle long,And tumble zig-zag down the hilly slope,And e’en do totter on the streamlet’s edge,Until at length one Lilliput doth winBy one great stroke, when lo! a sudden galeDoth whisk its great nose down the hilltop’s side,And puffs the victor and the prize away.So oft the giant world wrests from our graspThe things we seek in tedious rivalry;And like the foolish little ants a-tilt,Great Justice ’bove, who loathes such noxious strife,Doth make us lose the prize we strove to gain,And to defeat doth add discomfiture.
Say, of what mortal use is enmity?Hast thou not seen two midget ants in strife,Contending o’er the petal in the vale,—See how they toil and sweat, and struggle long,And tumble zig-zag down the hilly slope,And e’en do totter on the streamlet’s edge,Until at length one Lilliput doth winBy one great stroke, when lo! a sudden galeDoth whisk its great nose down the hilltop’s side,And puffs the victor and the prize away.So oft the giant world wrests from our graspThe things we seek in tedious rivalry;And like the foolish little ants a-tilt,Great Justice ’bove, who loathes such noxious strife,Doth make us lose the prize we strove to gain,And to defeat doth add discomfiture.
Say, of what mortal use is enmity?
Hast thou not seen two midget ants in strife,
Contending o’er the petal in the vale,—
See how they toil and sweat, and struggle long,
And tumble zig-zag down the hilly slope,
And e’en do totter on the streamlet’s edge,
Until at length one Lilliput doth win
By one great stroke, when lo! a sudden gale
Doth whisk its great nose down the hilltop’s side,
And puffs the victor and the prize away.
So oft the giant world wrests from our grasp
The things we seek in tedious rivalry;
And like the foolish little ants a-tilt,
Great Justice ’bove, who loathes such noxious strife,
Doth make us lose the prize we strove to gain,
And to defeat doth add discomfiture.