Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

Taedium Vitae (Author: Oscar Wilde)

p.777

1. 1] To stab my youth with desperate knives, to wear
   2] This paltry age's gaudy livery,
   3] To let each base hand filch my treasury,
   4] To mesh my soul within a woman's hair,
   5] And be mere Fortune's lackeyed groom,—I swear
   6] I love it not! these things are less to me
   7] Than the thin foam that frets upon the sea,
   8] Less than the thistle-down of summer air
• 9] Which hath no seed: better to stand aloof
  10] Far from these slanderous fools who mock my life
  11] Knowing me not, better the lowliest roof
  12] Fit for the meanest hind to sojourn in,
  13] Than to go back to that hoarse cave of strife
  14] Where my white soul first kissed the mouth of sin.