Let bygones be!The heritage of ancient sins,That lies so heavy on us now,Will leave us when the life beginsWhich takes the curse from every browAnd makes us free.
Let bygones be!With all their bitterness and loss,With all their lure for gold and fame,With all their horror of a cross,And all their fear of guilt and shameAnd cruelty.
Let bygones be!The hours of toil and years of painWill never come to mar againOr make us sad with their refrain,Or taunt us that we once were menOf memory.
Let bygones be!Not so!  Association delvesAmong the ruins of the past,Or we should never know ourselvesOr feel awakening at last-So dumb are we.
Let bygones be!We could not, would not, let them go,For all their treachery and strife,For all their wretchedness and woe,They are the surety of life-It's victory.
Let bygones be!Let hopes of future pass for aya!And what, indeed, must Heaven mean!One thrill of joy can far outweighAll trouble that we may have seen,Or yet may see.
Let bygones be!Ah, no!  But let us ponder o'erOur former error or success,That triumphs may be more and moreAnd failures may grow less and less, Eternally.