No More Learning

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The hall is gay with limpid lustre bright--
The feast to pampered palate gives delight--
The sated guests pick at the spicy food,
And drink profusely, for the cheer is good;
And at that table--where the wise are few--
Both sexes and all ages meet the view;
The sturdy warrior with a thoughtful           face--
The am'rous youth, the maid replete with grace,
The prattling infant, and the hoary hair
Of second childhood's proselytes--are there;--
And the most gaudy in that spacious hall,
Are e'er the young, or oldest of them all
Helmet and banner, ornament and crest,
The lion rampant, and the jewelled vest,
The silver star that glitters fair and white,
The arms that tell of many a nation's might--
Heraldic blazonry, ancestral pride,
And all mankind invents for pomp beside,
The winged leopard, and the eagle wild--
All these encircle woman, chief and child;
Shine on the carpet burying their feet,
Adorn the dishes that contain their meat;
And hang upon the drapery, which around
Falls from the lofty ceiling to the ground,
Till on the floor its waving fringe is spread,
As the bird's wing may sweep the roses' bed.