The Five Boons of Life

Mark Twain

Chapter I

In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket, and said:

"Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others. And be wary, chose wisely; oh, choose wisely!

for only one of them is valuable."

The gifts were five: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, Death. The youth said, eagerly:

"There is no need to consider"; and he chose Pleasure.

He went out into the world and sought out the pleasures that youth delights in. But each in

its turn was short-lived and disappointing, vain and empty; and each, departing, mocked

The man considered long, then chose Love; and did not mark the tears that rose in the

fairy's eyes.

After many, many years the man sat by a coffin, in an empty home. And he communed with

himself, saying: "One by one they have gone away and left me; and now she lies here, the

dearest and the last. Desolation after desolation has swept over me; for each hour of

happiness the treacherous trader, Love, as sold me I have paid a thousand hours of grief.

Out of my heart of hearts I curse him."

Chapter III

"Choose again." It was the fairy speaking.

"The years have taught you wisdom--surely it must be so. Three gifts remain. Only one of

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"Chose yet again." It was the fairy's voice.

"Two gifts remain. And do not despair. In the beginning there was but one that was

precious, and it is still here."

"Wealth--which is power! How blind I was!" said the man. "Now, at last, life will be worth

the living. I will spend, squander, dazzle. These mockers and despisers will crawl in the dirt

before me, and I will feed my hungry heart with their envy. I will have all luxuries, all joys,

all enchantments of the spirit, all contentments of the body that man holds dear. I will buy,

buy, buy! deference, respect, esteem, worship--every pinchbeck grace of life the market of a

trivial world can furnish forth. I have lost much time, and chosen badly heretofore, but let

that pass; I was ignorant then, and could but take for best what seemed so."

store there was but one gift which was precious, only one that was not valueless. How poor

and cheap and mean I know those others now to be, compared with that inestimable one,

that dear and sweet and kindly one, that steeps in dreamless and enduring sleep the pains

that persecute the body, and the shames and griefs that eat the mind and heart. Bring it! I am

weary, I would rest."

Chapter V

The fairy came, bringing again four of the gifts, but Death was wanting. She said:

"I gave it to a mother's pet, a little child. It was ignorant, but trusted me, asking me to

choose for it. You did not ask me to choose."

"Oh, miserable me! What is left for me?"