Classic Poem

The World in 2000

That's a wonderful book Edward Bellamy writes
Concerning the world in 2000,
And all of his readers he greatly delights
With his tale of the world in 2000.
How sorry we feel that such marvelous sights,
Such heavenly days and such musical nights,
Such moral and mental and physical heights,
Must all be put off till 2000!

The spirit of Christ will triumphantly reign
When time has arrived at 2000,
And selfishness long in its grave will have lain,
In the year of this era 2000.
Oh, men will be sorry for each other's pain,
Starvation and care will not drive them insane,
And glory shall seem to them better than gain
When they find themselves safe in 2000.

All men will be equal and all will be free—
Alas, must we wait till 2000?
No rich on the earth and no poor will there be—
O Time, hasten on tow'rd 2000!
To God, and God only, will Toil bend the knee,
No strikes and no riots will workmen decree,
And the weak from the strong will have no cause to flee
When the race has at last reached 2000.

The combines and trusts will be all of them dead—
But not, I'm afraid, till 2000.
And the last of the lawyers long since will have plead
Ere that red-letter epoch 2000.
Public place will with honor forever be wed,
And no briber of juries will dare show his head,
For they all will be scorching in Limbo instead—
Oh my, don't we wish 'twas 2000!

Obscure authors and artists will all have fair play
When Eternity's clock marks 2000;
For merit alone will expect right of way—
Alas, 'tis so long till 2000!
Real poets and writers will shine in that day,
And none will be heard who have nothing to say—
Oh, how would our sonneteers marvel if they
Should chance to wake up in 2000!

Many other strange things Mr. Bellamy writes
Concerning the world in 2000.
I am thinking o' days and I'm dreaming o' nights
Of the happiness there in 2000.
For the poor are as dogs, snarling over their rights,
While the rich sail above like a bevy of kites,
And our children will long have forgotten the sites
Of our graves in the days of 2000.English