I said to God: “Life is a wine-cup,
A thing to be drained while we may;
And those who can drink it most deeply
And emptiest cast it away.
The ones who have claimed the full measure
Of all the joy it can give,
Are those who have learned most completely
What it means to be conscious and live.”
But God said: “No, life is a picture,
A thing you may paint as you will.
Your colors are of your own choosing,
And yours is the measure of skill.
You may paint, and the curse or the blessing
With all of their burden or worth,
When your brush has been dropped will be treasured
As your gift to the children of earth.”