I bargained with Life for a penny,
    And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening,
    When I counted my scanty store.
For Life is a just employer,
    It gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
    You must bear the task.
I worked for a menial hire,
    Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
    Life would have willingly paid.