The poem
Life, you've been mighty good to me, Yet here's the end of the trail; No more mountain, moor and sea, No more saddle and sail. Waves a-leap in the laughing sun Call to me as of yore. . . . Alas! my errant days are done: I'll rove no more, no more.
Life, you've cheered me all the way; You've been my bosom friend; But gayest dog will have his day, And biggest binge must end. Shorebound I watch and see afar A wistful isle grow wan, While over is a last lone star Dims out in lilac dawn.
Life, you've been wonderful to me, But fleetest foot must fail; The hour must come when all will see The last lap of the trail. Yet holding in my heart a hymn Of praise for gladness gone, Serene I wait my star to dim In the glow of the Greater Dawn.