Destiny and Overcoming

Though the day of my destiny’s over, And the star of my fate hath declined.

My boat is on the shore, And my bark is on the sea; But, before I go, Tom Moore, Here’s a double health to thee! Here’s a sigh to those who love me, And a smile to those who hate; And, whatever sky’s above me, Here’s a heart for every fate.

The best laid schemes o’ mice and men Gang aft a-gley.

Who strives always to the utmost, For him there is salvation. 14

Must helpless man, in ignorance sedate, Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?

And binding Nature fast in fate, Left free the human will.

Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, A hero perish or a sparrow fall, Atoms or systems into ruin hurl’d, And now a bubble burst, and now a world.

Awake, my St. John! 4 leave all meaner things To low ambition, and the pride of kings. Let us, since life can little more supply Than just to look about us, and to die, Expatiate free o’er all this scene of man; A mighty maze! but not without a plan.

’Tis not in mortals to command success, But we’ll do more, Sempronius; we’ll deserve it.

Arms, and the man I sing, 8 who, forced by fate, And haughty Juno’s unrelenting hate.

All human things are subject to decay, And, when fate summons, monarchs must obey.

I am not now in fortune’s power: He that is down can fall no lower.

Others apart sat on a hill retir’d, In thoughts more elevate, and reason’d high Of Providence, foreknowledge, will, and fate, Fix’d fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute, And found no end, in wand’ring mazes lost.

That power Which erring men call Chance.

Prosperity doth bewitch men, seeming clear; But seas do laugh, show white, when rocks are near.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men.

Fortune brings in some boats that are not steer’d.

Men’s judgments are A parcel of their fortunes, and things outward Do draw the inward quality after them, To suffer all alike.

We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers Deny us for our good; so find we profit By losing of our prayers.

Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch Of the rang’d empire fall! Here is my space. Kingdoms are clay.

Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him. 50

But yet I’ll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate.

Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.

Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.