O ME! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless‹of cities fill'd with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light‹of the objects mean‹of the struggle ever renew'd;
Of the poor results of all‹of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest‹with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring‹What good amid these, O me, O life?

               Answer.

That you are here‹that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.