The Indian Weed. Anonymous (Seventeenth Century). Poems of Sentiment: II. Life. Bliss Carman, et al., eds. 1904. The World's Best Poetry. VI. Fancy

Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume VI. Fancy. 1904.

Poems of Sentiment: II. Life

The Indian Weed

Anonymous (Seventeenth Century)


THIS Indian weed, now withered quite,
Though green at noon, cut down at night,
Shows thy decay,—
All flesh is hay:
Thus think, and drink 1 tobacco.	5

The pipe, so lily-like and weak,
Does thus thy mortal state bespeak;
Thou art e’en such,—
Gone with a touch:
Thus think, and drink tobacco.	10

And when the smoke ascends on high,
Then thou behold’st the vanity
Of worldly stuff,—
Gone with a puff:
Thus think, and drink tobacco.	15

And when the pipe grows foul within,
Think on thy soul defiled with sin;
For then the fire
It does require:
Thus think, and drink tobacco.	20

And seest the ashes cast away,
Then to thyself thou mayest say
That to the dust
Return thou must:
Thus think, and drink tobacco.	25

Note 1. The current phrase for smoking, in the XVII. Century. [back]