English poem
FAME vs. RICHES
by Roswell Martin Field (1851–1919)
The Greeks had genius—'twas a gift The Muse vouchsafed in glorious measure; The boon of Fame they made their aim And prized above all worldly treasure.
But we—how do we train our youth? Not in the arts that are immortal, But in the greed for gains that speed From him who stands at Death's dark portal.
Ah, when this slavish love of gold Once binds the soul in greasy fetters, How prostrate lies—how droops and dies The great, the noble cause of letters!