Ella Wheeler Wilcox (Элла Уилкокс)
Fate and I
Wise men tell me thou, O Fate, Art invincible and great. Well, I own thy prowess; still Dare I flout thee with my will Thou canst shatter in a span All the earthly pride of man. Outward things thou canst control; But stand back-I rule my soul! Death? ’Tis such a little thing- Scarcely worth the mentioning. What has death to do with me, Save to set my spirit free? Something in me dwells, O Fate, That can rise and dominate Loss, and sorrow, and disaster,- How, then, Fate, art thou my master? In the great primeval morn My immortal will was born, Part of that stupendous Cause Which conceived the Solar Laws, Lit the suns and filled the seas, Royalest of pedigrees. That great Cause was Love, the Source Who most loves has most of Force. He who harbours Hate one hour Saps the soul of Peace and Power. He who will not hate his foe Need not dread life’s hardest blow. In the realm of brotherhood Wishing no man aught but good, Naught but good can come to me- This is Love’s supreme decree. Since I bar my door to Hate, What have I to fear, O Fate? Since I fear not-Fate I vow, I the ruler am, not thou!
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