Question

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.


Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.


We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

please paraphrase this

Answer 1

what's the connotation?

Answer 2

Stanza 1
We put on a false smiling face that lies, hiding our cheeks and eyes. It’s something we do because of people’s deception and judgment. Even though our hearts are torn and bleeding, we force a smile and speak in careful, misleading ways.

Stanza 2
Why should the world know and count all our tears and sighs? No — let them only see the false face we present while we wear the mask.

Stanza 3
We smile outwardly, but we cry out to Christ from our tormented souls. We sing, yet the ground beneath us is foul and the journey is long. Still, let the world keep believing the illusion — we keep up the mask.