| Thomas R. Lounsbury, ed. (1838–1915). Yale Book of American Verse. 1912. |
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| John James Ingalls. 1833–1900 |
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| 186. Opportunity |
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| "MASTER of human destinies am I! | |
| Fame, love, and fortune on my footsteps wait. | |
| Cities and fields I walk; I penetrate | |
| Deserts and seas remote, and passing by | |
| Hovel and mart and palace—soon or late | 5 |
| I knock unbidden once at every gate! | |
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| "If sleeping, wake—if feasting, rise before | |
| I turn away. It is the hour of fate, | |
| And they who follow me reach every state | |
| Mortals desire, and conquer every foe | 10 |
| Save death; but those who doubt or hesitate, | |
| Condemned to failure, penury, and woe, | |
| Seek me in vain and uselessly implore. | |
| I answer not, and I return no more!" | |
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