In Residence

BALLADE OF THE MUTABILITY OF HUMAN AFFAIRS WILD briar’s a blossom that fades ; The lily as easily dies ; And the love of terrestrial maids Is tender, too tender to prize. In a minute it droops and it dies, And happiness spills at the brink ; Love opens the window and flies :— But Smith’s is a permanent ink. Prosperity favoureth trades. An hour, and then troubles arise. The workers drop axes and spades, And Brandenburg labour supplies The goods. It is very unwise Your money in labour to sink. It will vanish, the blue in the skies :— But Smith’s is a permanent ink. And even the woe that invades Will pass, I make bold to surmise, Like a man who for salmon trout wades Till the water comes over his thighs.