NATURE’S ANSWER.III.

 A maid was asked in marriage. Wise as fair,

She gave her answer with deep thought and prayer,

Expecting, in the holy name of wife,

Great work, great pain, and greater joy, in life.

She found such work as brainless slaves might do,

By day and night, long labor¹, never through;

Such pain—no language can her pain reveal;

It had no limit but her power to feel;

Such joy—life left in her sad soul’s employ

Neither the hope nor memory of joy.

Helpless, she died, with one despairing cry,—

“I thought it good; how could I tell the lie?”

And answered Nature, merciful and stern,

“I teach by killing²; let the others learn.”

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。