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In Vita. LXVII.

By Emma Lazarus

Topics: classic

Since thou and I have proven many a time     That all our hope betrays us and deceives,     To that consummate good which never grieves     Uplift thy heart, towards a happier clime.     This life is like a field of flowering thyme,     Amidst the herbs and grass the serpent lives;     If aught unto the sight brief pleasure gives,     'T is but to snare the soul with treacherous lime.     So, wouldst thou keep thy spirit free from cloud,     A tranquil habit to thy latest day,     Follow the few, and not the vulgar crowd.     Yet mayest thou urge, "Brother, the very way     Thou showest us, wherefrom thy footsteps proud     (And never more than now) so oft did stray."

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"Since thou and I have proven many a time..." by Emma Lazarus

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Emma Lazarus

About Emma Lazarus

Emma Lazarus (1849–1887) was an American poet best known for "The New Colossus," whose lines "Give me your tired, your poor" are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. She was an early advocate for Jewish refugees and anti-Semitism awareness.

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