aith, "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"

--
St. 1. Grow old along with me!: I understand that the aged Rabbi
is addressing some young friend.
The best is yet to be, the last of life:

"By the spirit, when age shall o'ercome thee, thou still shalt enjoy
More indeed, than at first when, unconscious, the life of a boy."
--`Saul', 162, 163.

2.

Not that, amassing flowers,
Youth sighed, "Which rose make ours,
Which lily leave and then as best recall?"
Not that, admiring stars,
It yearned, "Nor Jove, nor Mars;
Mine be some figured flame which blends, transcends them all!"

3.

Not for such hopes and fears
Annulling youth's brief years,
Do I remonstrate: folly wide the mark!
Rather I prize the doubt
Low kinds exist without,
Finished and finite clods, untroubled by a spark.

--
St. 2, 3. The construction is, I do not remonstrate that youth,
amassing flowers, sighed, Which rose make ours, which lily leave, etc.,
nor that, admiring stars, it (youth) yearned, etc.

4.

Poor vaunt of life indeed,
Were man but formed to feed
On joy, to solely seek and find and feast;
Such feasting ended, then
As sure an end to men;
Irks care the crop-full bird? Frets doubt the maw-crammed beast?

--
St. 4. Irks care: does care irk. . .does doubt fret. . .

5.

Rejoice we are allied
To That which doth provide
And not partake, effect and not receive!
A spark disturbs our clod;
Nearer we hold of God
Who gives, than of His tribes that take, I must believe.

--
St. 5. Nearer we hold of God: have title to a nearer relationship.
See Webster, s.v. Hold, v.i. def. 3. {No edition is given.}

6.

Then, welcome each rebuff
That turns earth's smoothness rough,
Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand but go!
Be our joys three-parts pain!
Strive, and hold cheap the strain;
Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe!

7.

For thence,--a paradox
Which comforts while it mocks,--
Shall life succeed in that it seems to fail:
What I aspired to be,
And was not, comforts me:
A brute I might have been, but would not sink i' the scale.

--
St. 7. What I aspired to be: "'tis not what man Does which exalts him,