The Old Stoic

Riches I hold in light esteem,
And Love I laugh to scorn;
And lust of fame was but a dream,
That vanish’d with the morn:

And if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is, ’Leave the heart that now I bear,
And give me liberty!’

Yes, as my swift days near their goal,
’Tis all that I implore;
In life and death a chainless soul
With courage to endure.