from Is Life Worth Living?

IS life worth living? Yes, so long

   As there is wrong to right,

Wail of the weak against the strong,

   Or tyranny to fight;

Long as there lingers gloom to chase,

   Or streaming tear to dry,

One kindred woe, one sorrowing face

   That smiles as we draw nigh;

Long as a tale of anguish swells

   The heart, and lids grow wet,

And at the sound of Christmas bells

   We pardon and forget;

So long as Faith with Freedom reigns,

   And loyal Hope survives,

And gracious Charity remains

   To leaven lowly lives;

While there is one untrodden tract

   For Intellect or Will,

And men are free to think and act

   Life is worth living still . . . .

Alfred Austin

Index to poems in the collection by Alfred Austin