Page:Backblock Ballads and Later Verses (C.J. Dennis, 1918).djvu/129



Now, I always have preserved a certain attitude Quite definite in reference to Work— ('Tis futility concealing That I have the Weary Feeling   And tendency perennial to shirk)— Still, I always strive to recognize the principle That earnest, steady toil is ever best; So that, having recognized it, Not to say idealized it, I would fain lay down my pen and take a rest.

For, you understand, to recognize a principle Is patently a virtue in itself. After that you have the option, Of its strenuous adoption, Or the placing of it gently on a shelf. For myself, I'm forced to own that though my theory's   A thing of beauty, even in the rough, Dearth of cash supplies good reasons, With the passing of the seasons, That this simple recognition's not enough.