Thou mighty Prince of Church and State, br Richelieu! until the hour of death, br Whatever road man chooses, Fate br Still holds him subject to her breath. br Spun of all silks, our days and nights br Have sorrows woven with delights; br And of this intermingled shade br Our various destiny appears, br Even as one sees the course of years br Of summers and of winters made. br Sometimes the soft, deceitful hours br Let us enjoy the halcyon wave; br Sometimes impending peril lowers br Beyond the seaman's skill to save, br The Wisdom, infinitely wise, br That gives to human destinies br Their foreordained necessity, br Has made no law more fixed below, br Than the alternate ebb and flow br Of Fortune and Adversity.