Which are You?

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



There are two kinds of people on earth to-day;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.

Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span,
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.

Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.

No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go, you will find the earth's masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.

And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?

Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
Your portion of labor, and worry and care?

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 20, 2023

59 sec read
94

Quick analysis:

Scheme AA BB CC DD XX EE FF DE GG HH
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 966
Words 192
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

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