HOMES. A SESTINA.

 We are the smiling comfortable homes

With happy families enthroned therein,

Where baby souls are brought to meet the world,

Where women end their duties and desires,

For which men labor¹ as the goal of life,

That people worship now instead of God.

Do we not teach the child to worship God?—

Whose soul’s young range is bounded by the homes

Of those he loves, and where he learns that life

Is all constrained² to serve the wants therein,

Domestic needs and personal desires,—

These are the early limits of his world.

And are we not the woman’s perfect world,

Prescribed by nature and ordained³ of God,

Beyond which she can have no right desires,

No need for service other than in homes?

For doth she not bring up her young therein?

And is not rearing young the end of life?

And man? What other need hath he in life

Than to go forth⁴ and labor in the world,

8And struggle sore with other men therein?

Not to serve other men, nor yet his God,

But to maintain these comfortable homes,—

The end of all a normal man’s desires.

Shall not the soul’s most measureless desires

Learn that the very flower and fruit of life

Lies all attained⁵ in comfortable homes,

With which life’s purpose is to dot the world

And consummate⁶ the utmost will of God,

By sitting down to eat and drink therein.

Yea, in the processes that work therein—

Fulfilment of our natural desires—

Surely man finds the proof that mighty⁷ God

For to maintain and reproduce his life

Created him and set him in the world;

And this high end is best attained in homes.

Are we not homes? And is not all therein?

Wring⁸ dry the world to meet our wide desires!

We crown all life! We are the aim of God!

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 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

3 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

6 consummate   

adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle

参考例句：

• The restored jade burial suit fully reveals the consummate skill of the labouring people of ancient China.复原后的金缕玉衣充分显示出中国古代劳动人民的精湛工艺。
• The actor's acting is consummate and he is loved by the audience.这位演员技艺精湛，深受观众喜爱。

7 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

8 wring   

n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭

参考例句：

• My socks were so wet that I had to wring them.我的袜子很湿，我不得不拧干它们。
• I'll wring your neck if you don't behave!你要是不规矩，我就拧断你的脖子。