Life

We can not tell what happiness 
We might on earth possess 
If in singleness of heart 
We would strive to act a proper part. 
‘Tis true we see the effects of sin
All without and all within. 
We long may live a life in vain, 
Much good possess, but still complain. 
We may appear to other eyes, 
To be extremely rich and wise; 
But if our hearts are not right, 
Life will not be beautiful and bright. 
Oh! may our life, day by day, 
In love and duty pass away; 
And at last when our bodies die, 
We may live in that world above the sky; 
Where free from sin, death and pain, 
The good will meet and love again. 

Credit

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on November 16, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“Life” was originally published in History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folk Lore (Warden, 1921).