This Present Evil World

The stream was deep­er than I thought

When first I ven­tured near;

I stood up­on its slop­ing edge

Without a ris­ing fear.

It woke in rip­ples at my feet

As breez­es quick swept by

And caught the sun­light on its face

Like blos­soms from the sky.

It sang its qui­et May-day song

To its old sum­mer tune;

And weep­ing wil­low boughs ab­ove

Shook to the glow­ing noon.

It seemed to stop

then ed­died on;

It smiled up to the day;

It deep­ened

then spread out its waves

And stole in light away.

O streams of earth­ly love and joy

On whose green banks we dwell

Ye gleam in beau­ty to the eye

And pro­mise fair and well!

Ye charm the sun­beams from the air

The frag­rance from the flow­ers

The blos­soms from the bud­ding tree

The wealth of sum­mer hours.

Ye bid us come and take them all

From your en­chant­ed blue;

Ye tell us but to stoop and taste

The joy

and scent

and hue.

Ye lure us

and we ven­ture in

Cheated by sun and smiles;

Ye tempt us

and we brave your depths

Won by your win­ning wiles.

Too deep and strong for us! We glide

Down your de­ceiv­ing wave;

Like men by siren song be­guiled

On to a si­ren grave.

O world

with all thy smiles and loves

With all thy song and wine

What mock­ery of hu­man hearts

What trea­chery is thine!

Thou wound­est

but thou can­not heal

Thy words are war­bled lies;

Thy hand con­tains the poi­son cup

And he who drinks it dies.

O world

there’s fev­er in thy touch

And fren­zy in thine eye;

To lose and shun thee is to live

To win thee is to die!