From
Leaves of Grass, by
Walt Whitman:
When I
peruse the conquer'd fame of heroes and the victories
of mighty generals, I do not
envy the generals,
Nor the
President in his Presidency, nor the rich in his great
house,
But when I hear of the
brotherhood of
lovers, how it was
with them,
How
together through life, through dangers,
odium,
unchanging, long and long,
Through
youth and through middle and old age, how
unfaltering, how affectionate and
faithful they were,
Then I am
pensive — I hastily walk away fill'd with the
bitterest envy.