here on earth

when I have come with happy heart to sixty years and ten,
i'll buy a boat and sail away upon a summer sea;
and in a little lonely isle that's far and far from men,
in peace and praise I'll spend the days the Gods allow to me.
for I am weary of a strife so pitiless and vain;
and in a far and fairy isle, bewilderingly bright,
i'll learn to know the leap and glow of rapture once again,
and welcome every living dawn with wonder and delight...

...for when I come with happy heart to sixty years and ten,

i fondly hope the best of life will yet remain to me;

and so I'll burn my foolish books and break my futile pen,

and seek a tranced and tranquil isle, that dreams eternally.

i'll turn my back on all the world, I'll bid my friends adieu;

unto the blink I'll leave behind what gold I have to give;

and in a jewelled solitude I'll mould my life anew,

and nestling close to Nature's heart, I'll learn at last . . . to live.

-from beachcomber by robert william service