Set not thy foot on graves; br Hear what wine and roses say; br The mountain chase, the summer waves, br The crowded town, thy feet may well delay. br br Set not thy foot on graves; br Nor seek to unwind the shroud br Which charitable time br And nature have allowed br To wrap the errors of a sage sublime. br br Set not thy foot on graves; br Care not to strip the dead br Of his sad ornament; br His myrrh, and wine, and rings, br His sheet of lead, br And trophies buried; br Go get them where he earned them when alive, br As resolutely dig or dive. br br Life is too short to waste br The critic bite or cynic bark, br Quarrel, or reprimand; br 'Twill soon be dark; br Up! mind thine own aim, and br God speed the mark.