481. Late Wisdom

George Crabbe. 1754-1832


WE'VE trod the maze of error round,
  Long wandering in the winding glade;
And now the torch of truth is found,
  It only shows us where we strayed:
By long experience taught, we know--
  Can rightly judge of friends and foes;
Can all the worth of these allow,
  And all the faults discern in those.

Now, 'tis our boast that we can quell
  The wildest passions in their rage,
Can their destructive force repel,
  And their impetuous wrath assuage.--
Ah, Virtue! dost thou arm when now
  This bold rebellious race are fled?
When all these tyrants rest, and thou
  Art warring with the mighty dead?

The Oxford Book of English Verse, HTML edition