LESSON 33 DAILY WORK

DAILY WORK

CHARLES MACKAY (1814-1889), Scottish poet; most widely known as a writer of songs, principal of which are Cheer Boys Cheer, The Good Time Coming, and Tubal Cain.

WHO lags [1] for dread of daily work,

And his appointed task would shirk,

Commits a folly and a crime;

A soulless [2] slave—

A paltry knave—

A clog [3] upon the wheels of time.

With work to do, and store of health,

The man’s unworthy to be free,

Who will not give,

That he may live,

His daily toil for daily fee.

No dread of toil have we or ours;

We know our worth and weigh our powers;

The more we work the more we win:

Success to Trade!

Success to Spade!

And to the Corn that’s coming in!

And joy to him who, o’er his task,

Remembers toil is Nature’s plan [4] ;

Who, working, thinks

And never sinks

His independence as a man.

Who only asks for humblest wealth,

Enough for competence [5] and health,

And leisure, when his work is done,

To read his book

By chimney-nook,

Or stroll at setting of the sun;

Who toils, as every man should toil,

For fair reward, erect and free;

These are the men—

The best of men—

These are the men we mean to be.

—CHARLES MACKAY

* * *

[1] lags: Hangs behind; idles.

[2] soulless: Without spirit or ambition.

[3] clog: Hindrance.

[4] toil is Nature’s plan: There is no idleness in Nature.

[5] competence: What is sufficient for one’s needs.