GIVE a man a horse he can ride,
Give a man a boat he can sail;
And his rank and wealth, his strength and health,
On sea nor shore shall fail.
Give a man a pipe he can smoke,
Give a man a book he can read:
And his home is bright with a calm delight,
Though the room be poor indeed.
Give a man a girl he can love,
As I, O my love, love thee;
And his heart is great with the pulse of Fate,
At home, on land, on sea.
More verses by James Thomson
- The Four Seasons : Autumn
- Hymn On Solitude
- A Poem Sacred To The Memory Of Sir Isaac Newton
- The Seasons: Winter
- An Elegy Upon James Therburn, In Chatto