No Labor-Saving Machine

 

No labor-saving machine,

Nor discovery have I made,

Nor will I be able to leave behind me any wealthy bequest

to found a hospital or library,

Nor reminiscence of any deed of courage for America,

Nor literary success nor intellect, nor book for the book-shelf,

But a few carols vibrating through the air I leave,

For comrades and lovers.

 

Walt Whitman