
Life is a jest;
    Take the delight of it.
    Laughter is best;
  Sing through the night of it.
Swiftly the tear
    And the hurt and the ache of it
    Find us down here;
    Life must be what we make of it.
Life is a song;
    Dance to the thrill of it.
    Grief's hours are long,
    And cold is the chill of it.
Joy is man's need;
    Let us smile for the sake of it.
    This be our creed:
    Life must be what we make of it.
Life is a soul;
    The virtue and vice of it,
    Strife for a goal,
    And man's strength is the price of it.
Your life and mine,
    The bare bread and the cake of it
    End in this line:
    Life must be what we make of it.