Inscriptions for a Friend's House
Henry Van Dyke 1852 (Germantown, Pennsylvania) – 1933 (Princeton, New Jersey)
THE HOUSE
The cornerstone in Truth is laid,
The guardian walls of Honour made,
The roof of Faith is built above,
The fire upon the hearth is Love:
Though rains descend and loud winds call,
This happy house shall never fall.
THE DOORSTEAD
The lintel low enough to keep out pomp and pride:
The threshold high enough to turn deceit aside:
The doorband strong enough from robbers to defend:
This door will open at a touch to welcome every friend.
THE HEARTHSTONE
When the logs are burning free,
Then the fire is full of glee:
When each heart gives out its best,
Then the talk is full of zest:
Light your fire and never fear,
Life was made for love and cheer.
THE SUN-DIAL
Time can never take
What Time did not give;
When my shadows have all passed,
You shall live.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 43 sec read
- 129 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCC DDEE FFGGHH XXXX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 745 |
Words | 144 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 4, 6, 4 |
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"Inscriptions for a Friend's House" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/18333/inscriptions-for-a-friend's-house>.
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