From Contemplations

When I Behold the heavens as in their prime ,
And then the earth , though old ,still clad in green ,
The stones and trees insensible of time ,
Nor age nor wrimkle on their front are seen;
If winter come , and greenness then do fade ,
A spring returns , and they more youthful made ;
But man grows old , lies down , remains where once he’s laid .

By birth more noble than those creatures all ,
Yet seems by nature and by custom cursed –
No sooner born but grief and care makes fall
That state obliterate he had at first ;
Nor youth , nor strength , nor wisdom spring again ,
Nor habitations long their names retain ,
But in oblivion to the final day remain .

Shall I then praise the heavens , the trees ,the earth,
Because their beauty and their strength last longer ?
Shall I wish therefore never to had birth ,
Because they’re bigger and their bodies stronger ?
Nay , they shall darken , perish , fade , and die ,
But man was made for endless immortality .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !!