Page:Marlborough and other poems, Sorley, 1919.djvu/56

 Though we have little, all we have

We give our School. And no return

We can expect for what we gave;

No joys; only a summons stern,

"Depart, for others entrance crave!"

As soon as she can clearly prove

That from us is no hope of gain,

Because we only bring her love

And cannot bring her strength or brain,

She tells us, "Go: it is enough."

She turns us out at seventeen,

We may not know her any more,

And all our life with her has been

A life of seeing others score,

While we sink lower and are mean.

We have seen others reap success

Full-measure. None has come to us.

Our life has been one failure. Yes,

But does not God prefer it thus?

God does not also praise success.

And for each failure that we meet,

And for each place we drop behind,

Each toil that holds our aching feet,

Each star we seek and never find,

God, knowing, gives us comfort meet.

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