Cleon and I

Charles Mackay (1814–1889)

CLEON hath a million acres, ne’er a one have I;

Cleon dwelleth in a palace, in a cottage I;

Cleon hath a dozen fortunes, not a penny I;

Yet the poorer of the twain is Cleon, and not I.

Cleon, true, possesseth acres, but the landscape I;

Half the charms to me it yieldeth money cannot buy.

Cleon harbors sloth and dulness, freshening vigor I;

He in velvet, I in fustian, richer man am I.

Cleon is a slave to grandeur, free as thought am I;

Cleon fees a score of doctors, need of none have I;

Wealth-surrounded, care-environed, Cleon fears to die;

Death may come, he ’ll find me ready,—happier man am I.

Cleon sees no charms in nature, in a daisy I;

Cleon hears no anthems ringing in the sea and sky;

Nature sings to me forever, earnest listener I;

State for state, with all attendants, who would change? Not I.