236. MEN MIND NO STATE IN SICKNESS

That flow of gallants which approach

To kiss thy hand from out the coach;

That fleet of lackeys which do run

Before thy swift postilion;

Those strong-hoof'd mules, which we behold

Rein'd in with purple, pearl, and gold,

And shod with silver, prove to be

The drawers of the axle-tree;

Thy wife, thy children, and the state

Of Persian looms and antique plate:

--All these, and more, shall then afford

No joy to thee, their sickly lord.

A Selection from the Lyrical Poems of Robert Herrick · 第 247 / 269 题