The poem
The intellect of man is forced to choose perfection of the life, or of the work, And if it take the second must refuse A heavenly mansion, raging in the dark. When all that story's finished, what's the news? In luck or out the toil has left its mark: That old perplexity an empty purse, Or the day's vanity, the night's remorse.
Is it really true that we are forced to choose between success in (private) life or in work? I wonder... Maybe both is possible or even: maybe both is the only possibility! Because life is a whole. Maybe someone can name people who succeeded in both? - I think they excist. Furthermore, a poor man can be very succesfull as a person while a rich man can be very poor... Those who define success in a materialistic way are not succesfull at all. They just think they are...
This is one of the most powerful poems I have ever read. It persuaded me to retire from work earlier than I might have in order to persue my great interest in writing. If all we do is work to gain material possessions, we deny ourselves the opportunity to be creative in so many other ways and to create is to actualize our humanity. Yes we make the choice between "the day's vanity and the night's remorse." At night…
Read the whole commentThis is one of the most powerful poems I have ever read. It persuaded me to retire from work earlier than I might have in order to persue my great interest in writing. If all we do is work to gain material possessions, we deny ourselves the opportunity to be creative in so many other ways and to create is to actualize our humanity. Yes we make the choice between "the day's vanity and the night's remorse." At night we are alone with our own thoughts, souls, and dreams even if by day we have bedazzled the world with our material goods. As we lie in our beds at night we will ask ourselves who we are and what is the meaning of our lives. Create, add to the human condition and don't just float along like a leaf in a stream.