The Philosopher and the Philanthropist

  Searching an infinite Where,
  Probing a bottomless When,
  Dreamfully wandering,
  Ceaselessly pondering,
  What is the Wherefore of men:
  Bartering life for a There,
  Selling his soul for a Then,
  Baffling obscurity,
  Conning futurity,
  Usefulest, wisest of men!
  Grasping the Present of Life,
  Seizing a definite Now,
  Labouring thornfully,
  Banishing scornfully
  Doubts of his Whither and How:
  Spending his substance in Strife,
  Working a practical How,
  Letting obscurity
  Rest on futurity,
  Usefuler, wiser, I trow.