Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: MINE ENEMY Once in my pride I judged a man, With eyes austere I looked him through) I said, " Here failed he,"—span by span I measured all his faults anew. And thenceforth marked in bitter mood The manner of his life, intent To find therein such constant food That my just heart might not relent. I probed his thoughts, his motives weighed; And yet as on his hopes I peered, Though some I might have crushed, I stayed My hand—they were so humbly reared. And keeping watch with doubtful eyes On all his aftions, I began To mark with measureless surprise How very human was the man! Till, by a casual cross-wind blown, Came word of trifling afts of his— Poor common things—in which was shown His touch with common charities. Then seeing how much I had denied, Who loved the name of Charity, I bowed my head with shame and cried, " Forgive me, O mine enemy!" TO A BIOGRAPHER You write his life ! you will but prove That he was neither saint nor sage; Nor will he more our wonder move Divested of his garb of mage, And all the trappings of the stage; And that beside what he bequeathed In unexplained munificence; Beside the wealth wherewith he wreathed An empty name with consequence, The man was an impertinence. But to your task ; you undertake From hints of sorrow, strife, desire; From what it seemed he held as stake, To show the man—his force, his fire; What lay beneath his soul's attire; How he regarded God and man; Did he find hard those questions set Of Life that we as children scan, Give up and pass with inward fret, Not learned enough to answer yet ? But of himself where hides the truth— If he knew not, can you decide ? Did he not deify in youth The things in manhood thrice denied ? Yet who in thi...