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Enigma

Twas whispered in heaven & muttered in hell,
And Echo caught softly the sound as it fell.
In the confines of Earth twas permitted to rest,
And the depths of the ocean its presence confest.
Twas seen in the lightning & heard in the thunder,
T'will be found in the sphere when driven asunder.
Twas given to man with his earliest breath.
It assists at his birth and attends him at death.
Presided o'er his happiness, honour, and health,
Tis the prop of his house & the end of his wealth,
It begins every hope every wish it must bound,
And though unassuming with monarchs is found.
In the heaps of the miser tis hoarded with care,
But is sure to be lost in the prodigal heir,
Without it the soldier & sailor may roam,
But woe to the wretch that repels it from home.
In the whispers of conscience its voice will be found,
Nor ere in the whirlwind of passion be drowned,
It softens the heart & though deaf to the ear,
Twill make it acutely and instantly hear,
But in the shades let it rest like an elegant flower,
Oh! breathe on it softly it dies in an hour.