I looked on the waters—all calmly they lay,
And a light bark full proudly was bounding away;
Love sat at the helm, the sails courted the wind,
While heedlessly Pleasure and Beauty reclined.
I looked on the waters—the billows rose high,
Love quitted the helm, Pleasure fled with a sigh;
The gale came on stronger, the vessel went down,
And Beauty was left there to struggle and drown.
And thus 'tis, I said, in the voyage of life:
Love sits at the helm, all with Pleasure is rife;
But let only Misfortune's dark billows rise high,
And Beauty's deserted, to live or to die.