The Spirit of Philosophy descended
In a manner metaphysical and free,
Her Aegis she impartially extended
On the Rabbit, the Rhinoceros and me
And I stopped upon my Walk
To hear the Rabbit talk,
And the elderly Rhinoceros agree.

The Rabbit was coherently upbraiding
The fate that made his soft and tender frame;
And the foes that were eternally invading
The furry guards and borders of the same
" If my leap was ten times longer —
If my teeth were ten times stronger — "
Said he thought he'd turn the tables in the game.

His companion heard these mournful lucubrations,
And remarked that he was practical and old;
" It's a pity that we all have limitations,
But it doesn't do us any good to scold.
Our shape and size are given
By conditions that we live in,
As the shape and size of jelly in a mould.

" Evolutionary forces have assisted
In more years than a Rhinoceros can tell
To make my hide so horrid thick and twisted —
To give you fur — and enemies, as well
What life we have was made
In past ages, I'm afraid —
We can only grin and bear it for a spell. "

" May I join your causerie? " I asked politely,
" May I add my jeremiad to the tale? "
I then discoursed on Human Nature tritely,
In a melancholy, modulated wail
Said " This world's a vale of tears,
And man's little space of years
Can only add more tears to fill the vale. "

They turned upon me then in wrath outrageous,
" The fault is yours, " they cried, " if you are sad! "
We can not choose surroundings advantageous;
We suffer helpless, helpless we are glad
Environment to us is fate —
But you can always change the slate,
And make the things that make you good and bad. "

The Spirit of Philosophy departed;
The Rabbit and Rhinoceros were dumb
But I became a little lighter hearted,
I saw a heaven in sight and wanted some.
If our conditions make us sad —
And new conditions may be had —
What hinders us from making Kingdom Come?