"To touch the cup with eager lips and taste ...."

“To touch the cup with eager lips and taste,

not drain it;

To woo and tempt and court a bliss – and

not attain it;

To fondle and caress a joy, yet hold it lightly,

Lest it become a necessity and cling too

tightly;

To watch the sun set in the west without

regretting;

To hail its advent in the east – the night

forgetting;

To smother care in happiness and grief in

laughter;

To hold the present close – not questioning

hereafter;

To have enough to share – to know the joy

of giving;

To thrill with all the sweets of life – is living.”