This Only

From the Rock Island Argus, July 15, 1913.

Bring me not wisdom,
    Though folly be vain;
Bring me not riches,
    Though poverty’s pain;
Bring me not splendor,
    Though rags may be vile;
Bring me not glory,
    But teach me to smile.

Give me not power,
    Though smallness be mean;
Give me not grandeur,
    But make me serene;
Bring me not homage,
    But leave me obscure,
If mine be the courage
    To hope and endure.