Rich and rare were the gems she wore,
And a bright gold ring on her wand she bore.

Rich and rare were the gems she wore,
And a bright gold ring on her wand she bore.

Commerce has set the mark of selfishness,
The signet of its all-enslaving power
Upon a shining ore, read more

Commerce has set the mark of selfishness,
The signet of its all-enslaving power
Upon a shining ore, and called it gold;
Before whose image bow the vulgar great,
The vainly rich, the miserable proud,
The mob of peasants, nobles, priests, and kings,
And with blind feelings reverence the power
That grinds them to the dust of misery.
But in the temple of their hireling hearts
Gold is a living god, and rules in scorn
All earthly things but virtue.

What female heart can gold despise?
What cat's averse to fish?

What female heart can gold despise?
What cat's averse to fish?

The man who treasures his friends is usually solid gold himself.

The man who treasures his friends is usually solid gold himself.

Gold! Gold! Gold! Bright and yellow, hard and cold.

Gold! Gold! Gold! Bright and yellow, hard and cold.

How quickly nature falls into revolt
When gold becomes her object!
For this the foolish overcareful fathers
read more

How quickly nature falls into revolt
When gold becomes her object!
For this the foolish overcareful fathers
Have broke their sleep with thoughts, their brains with care.
Their bones with industry.
For this they have engrossed and piled up
The cankered heaps of strange-achieved gold;
For this they have been thoughtful to invest
Their sons with arts and martial exercises.

Though wisdom cannot be gotten with gold, still less can it be gotten without it.

Though wisdom cannot be gotten with gold, still less can it be gotten without it.

Gold! gold! gold! gold!
Bright and yellow, hard and cold!

Gold! gold! gold! gold!
Bright and yellow, hard and cold!

Truth comes to us from the past, then, like gold washed down from the mountains.

Truth comes to us from the past, then, like gold washed down from the mountains.