Lightening The Load

“Now man is is born to trouble sure as sparks to Heaven fly”,
So said the man, sat all alone in the corner of my eye,
I said: "Why the long face, why so sad? Things cannot be so bad."
He said: "Son, my aching bones tell of trouble on the road,
And you can't make lighter this load", he said,

"You can't make lighter this load".

“And how those sparks do rise from the burning fires of toil,

how honest men will labour on within our mortal coil!”

I said, “Man is born to trouble, sure, troubles he’ll endure”,

He said, “Son, a life’s for living what time we are bestowed,

“And you can’t make lighter this load”, he said,

“You can’t make lighter this load”.

Now many Winters have passed since then and long roads lie behind,

I’m resting on my way and with old friends on every side.

They say, “Tell us, traveller, what you’ve learned, seen and what you’ve heard”,

I say, “Friends, you best be settled to this truth as I was told:

That you can’t make lighter this load”, he said,

“You can’t make lighter this load”.