On the Vanity of Human Ambition

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937)

Poemata Minora, Volume II

HIC. HOMO. EST.AVARISSIMVS. ET.TVRPISSIMVS.IVDAEVS.

חשע

Apollo, chasing Daphne, gain'd his prizeBut lo! she turn'd to wood before his eyes.More modern swains at golden prizes aim,And ever strive some worldly thing to claim.Yet 'tis the same as in Apollo's case,For, once attain'd, the purest gold seems base.All that men seek's unworthy of the quest,Yet seek they will, and never pause for rest.True bliss, me thinks, a man can only findIn virtuous life, & cultivated mind.