POEM: Lines for the {Olympian}

Young athlete rare, who thus compete

For alloyed gold and fleeting fame,

And whose heart yet defies defeat,

Know you my indolence you tame?

Know you who train for years on end

For one brief chance, for one swift race,

That, though not for you Fortune bend,

Away my laziness you chase?

Your movements sharp, your charging leaps,

Bear more than you to victory;

More than acclaim your struggle reaps:

It wakes from dull indifference me!

How strong, how nimble, just how fierce

The human body is, you show;

And I lament how in arrears

Then my own lies, how stuck, how slow!

But idle will I no more sit,

No more! For know, Olympian bold,

That, though I’ll never be as fit,

I can, yes, stretch this mortal mold!

Young athlete brave, know you inspire

Not just your people’s deepest pride,

But also in me bright a fire

To bring out all my might inside.