I Was Made Erect and Lone

By Henry David Thoreau
I was made erect and lone,
And within me is the bone;
Still my vision will be clear,
Still my life will not be drear,
To the center all is near.
Where I sit there is my throne.
If age choose to sit apart,
If age choose, give me the start,
Take the sap and leave the heart.



Source: Poets of the English Language (Viking Press, 1950)