Compensation

I'd like to think when life is done That I had filled a needed post. That here and there I'd paid my fare With more than idle talk and boast; That I had taken gifts divine. The breath of life and manhood fine, And tried to use them now and then In service for my fellow men. I'd hate to think when life is through That I had lived my round of years A useless kind, that leaves behind No record in this vale of tears; That I had wasted all my days By treading only selfish ways, And that this world would be the same If it had never known my name. I'd like to think that here and there, When I am gone, there shall remain A happier spot that might have not Existed had I toiled for gain; That someone's cheery voice and smile Shall prove that I had been worth while; That I had paid with something fine My debt to God for life divine.