Page:Poems of Emma Lazarus vol 2.djvu/201

The noble ehrinketh aot from crime,
Wilt thou reseat oa him the charms of ain ?
Like fading giass,
So shall he pass.
Lite chaff that blows
Where the wind goes.
Then spare him, be thou merciful, Kiug,
Upon the dreaded day of reckoning !

Almighty ! what is man ?
The haughty son of time
Drinks deep of sin.
And feeds on crime
Seething like waves that roll,
Hot as a glowing coal.
And wilt thou punish him for sins inborn ?
Lost and forlorn.
Then like the weakling he must fall,
Who some great hero strives witlial,
Oh, spare him, therefore I let Iiim wia
Grace for his sin !

Almighty ! what is man ?
Spotted in guilty wise,
A stranger unto faith.
Whose tongue is atiuned with lies.
And shall thou count his sins — so ia he lost,
Uprooted by thy breath.
Like to a. stream by tempest tossed.
His life falls from him like a cloak,