Cursed fluctuating state of human disposition!
First, small and weak, it scarcely rears its head,
Scarce stretching out its helpless infant arms,
Implores protection of its neighbour minds,
Who nurse it to their hurt!
Anon it strives, it strives for pow’r and wealth,
And spurns at opposition…
By slow degree
The greed to its meridian hight ascends!
Arriv’d to full maturity, it grasps
At all within its reach, o’erleaps all bounds.
At length, grown old and swell’d to bulk enormous,
The monster in its proper bowels breeds
Pride, luxury, corruption, perfidy, contention,
Fell deseases of a mind…
Of things on earth, proud man must own,
Falsehood is found in man alone.
Who can edure
The noisy idiot brawl, the scurril taunt,
The riotous vulgarity and drunken midnight abuse.
Who can tolerate
To prostitute with impious hand
To uses vile capacities inborn…
Behold the monstrous human beast
Wallowing in excessive feast!
Phantom ornaments of pretended depth in mind,
Can ne’er disguise the poor state of their wearer.
And lo, needless slaughter of dignity
Swallows the last flickerings of sincere intention
To scorn the sordid world,
To set the hearts on things of real worth…
Behold the poor perverted soul,
Is our kind then sunk thus low?
Foul decadence on its summit
Casts down low as earth the miserable human breed.
It faints! It dies! For sure.
Inevitable suicide tragedy
Yet curative in its fundamental essence.