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

Rh 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,