What though thy bed be frozen earth,
Thy cloak the chilling blast;
What though no mate to cheer thy path,
Thy sky with gloom overcast;
What though if love itself doth fail,
Thy fragrance strewed in vain;
What though if bad over good prevail,
And vice over virtue reign:
Change not thy nature, gentle bloom,
Thou violet, sweet and pure,
But ever pour thy sweet perfume,
Unasked, unstinted, sure!
~Swami Vivekananda, Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 8
