In Memoriam A. H. H.: 16. I Envy not in any Moods

I envy not in any moods
      The captive void of noble rage,
      The linnet born within the cage,
   That never knew the summer woods:
   I envy not the beast that takes
      His license in the field of time,
      Unfetter'd by the sense of crime,
   To whom a conscience never wakes;
   Nor, what may count itself as blest,
    The heart that never plighted troth
    But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;
  Nor any want-begotten rest.

  I hold it true, whate'er befall;
    I feel it, when I sorrow most;
    'Tis better to have loved and lost
  Than never to have loved at all.