Greatness Is Effect Far More than Cause

Greatness is effect far more than cause.
Each hero is the servant of his fate,
On whom is laid the sacrificial weight
Reserved for those who would heed higher laws.
Given peace, I would have shunned applause,
Electing to remain a farmer, great
With long-gestating plans for my estate,
A much-loved labor lost to much-loathed wars.
So was I the father of a nation,
Having given over life and love,
Instrument of some far greater hand,
Not by choice but of necessity.
Glory was the means by which to fashion
The myth that would a king's replacement prove:
Only I would do, and that demand
Narrowed, deepened, scoured, chastened me.
Joy Is Not a Treasure You Can Lose
Joy is not a treasure you can lose.
Unless you will not, you will be consoled.
Linger with me long as you may choose.
In music as in life no joy is cold.
Undo, then, the tight corset of your grief
So that you might enjoy the moment's keening.
Give ear to music, eloquent though brief,
Restoring to the miracle its meaning.
Of all we think and feel and say and do,
So little, really, must be bound by time.
Still palpable, I'm here with all of you,
Musical as ever in this rhyme.
All I was, I am, and yet will be,
No less in love, although in memory.
Just as Love in Life Can Lessen Pain
Just as love in life can lessen pain,
Even more it soothes the pain of death.
For you our love must come and go like rain;
For me it is my heart, my word, my breath.
Let Others Speak of Hell -- I Speak of Courage
Let others speak of Hell -- I speak of courage:
In one there's inspiration for the other.
Nor need despair of Heaven one's life ravage:
Demand enough of Hell, and it rolls over.
All I suffered was what I endured,
For me a source of pride as well as pain.
Restored by love, I never could be cured:
Ill for life, but not alive in vain.
Enter bravely into my delight,
Dreadful though might be my manic mind.
More is known by feeling than by sight
As even darkness has its own sweet light;
Nor did I die but by my own design.
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