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Show H LAZARUS. H ("Remember that thou in thy life H time receivedst thy good things and H likewise Lazarus evil things.") m i H Still he lingers, where wealth and H fashion B Meet together to dine or play, H Lingers, a matter of vague compas- H sion, H Out in the darkness across the way; Out beyond the warmth and the glit- B And the light where luxury's laugh-H- ter rings, H Lazarus waits, where the wind is hit- H ter, receiving his evil things. H Still you find him, when, breathless, H t burning HI Summer flames upon square and H street, :! Wlien the fortunate ones of the earth Hi are turning HL Their thoughts to meadows and B meadowsweet; 1. For far away from the wide green H'; valley, Hj And the bramble patch where the H whitethroat sings, H Lazarus sweats in his crowded alley, H Receiving his evil things. 4 And all the time from a thousand rostrums ros-trums Wise men preach upon him and his woes, Each with his bundle of noisy nostrums nos-trums Torn to tatters 'twixt ayes and noes; Sage and Socialist, gush and glamour, Yet little relief their wisdom brings, For there's nothing for him out of all the clamor, Nothing but evil things. Royal commissions, creeds, convictions, convic-tions, Learnedly argue and write and speak, But the happy issue of his afflictions Lazarus waits for it week by week. Still he seeks it to-day, to-morrow, In purposeless pavement wanderings, wander-ings, Or dreams it, a huddled heap of sorrow, sor-row, Receiving his evil things. And some will tell you of evolution With social science thereto; an-1 some Look forth to the parable's retribution, retribu-tion, When the lot is changed in the life to come, To the trumpet sound and the great awaking, To One with healing upon His wings, In the house of the many mansions . making An end of the evil things. In the name of Knowledge the race grows healthier, In the name of Freedom the world grows great, And men are wiser, and men are ji wealthier, But Lazarus lies at the rich man's gate; Lies as he lay through human history, Through fame of heroes and pomp of kings, At the rich man's gate, an abiding mystery, Receiving his evil things. From the Spectator. |