1.
He rode the waves of human tide
Backward in its roll;
A foolish man, who satisfied
Neither himself nor his soul.
2.
His heart loved air and sanctity
Why did his brain rebel?
He found delight in purity
Yet frittered his hours
And wasted his powers
Perusing the pockets and edges of hell.
3.
Quick to love and quicker to lie
(As though an honest moment would buy
A year of doom and coiling stress);
He didn't balk to live or die
But was afraid of happiness.
4.
May a soul without a bias
Be obscene, mundane, and pious?
