Cleon and I by Charles Mackay

Cleon and I 

by Charles Mackay

Cleon hath ten thousand 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 dullness,

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

'Twixt the sea and sky;

Nature sings to me forever,

Earnest listener, I;

State for state, with all attendants—

Who would change?—Not I.