Toil Away
by John Jay Chapman
Toil away and set the stone
That shall stand when you are gone.
Ask not that another see
The meaning of your masonry.
Grind the gem and dig the well,
For what? for whom? — I cannot tell.
The stone may mark a boundary line,
The well may flow, the gem may shine.
Be it wage enough for you
To shape them well and set them true.
Of the future who can tell?
Work, my friend, and so farewell.
Rate this poem:
by John Jay Chapman
Toil away and set the stone
That shall stand when you are gone.
Ask not that another see
The meaning of your masonry.
Grind the gem and dig the well,
For what? for whom? — I cannot tell.
The stone may mark a boundary line,
The well may flow, the gem may shine.
Be it wage enough for you
To shape them well and set them true.
Of the future who can tell?
Work, my friend, and so farewell.
Rate this poem:
