Solitude
Laugh , and the world laughs with you ;
Weep , and you weep alone ;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth ,
But has trouble enough of its own .
Sing , and the hills will answer ;
Sigh , it is lost on the air ;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound ,
But shrink from voicing care .
Rejoice , and men will seek you ;
Grieve , and they turn and go ;
They want full measure of all your pleasure ,
But they do not need your woe .
Be glad , and your friends are many ;
Be sad , and you lose them all ,
There are none to decline your nectared wine ,
But alone you must drink life's gall .
Feast , and your halls are crowded ;
Fast , and the world goes by .
Succeed and give ,
and it helps you live ,
But no man can help you die .
There is room in the halls of pleasure For a large and lordly train ,
But one by one we must all file on Through the narrow aisles of pain .
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