Songs of Joy
William Henry Davies 1871 – 1940
Sing out, my soul, thy songs of joy;
Sing as a happy bird will sing
Beneath a rainbow's lovely arch
In the spring.
Think not of death in thy young days;
Why shouldst thou that grim tyrant fear?
And fear him not when thou art old,
And he is near.
Strive not for gold, for greedy fools
Measure themselves by poor men never;
Their standard still being richer men,
Makes them poor ever.
Train up thy mind to feel content,
What matters then how low thy store?
What we enjoy, and not possess,
Makes rich or poor.
Filled with sweet thought, then happy I
Take not my state from other's eyes;
What's in my mind -- not on my flesh
Or theirs -- I prize.
Sing, happy soul, thy songs of joy;
Such as a Brook sings in the wood,
That all night has been strengthened by
Heaven's purer flood.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 09, 2023
- 46 sec read
- 76 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABXB XCXC XDXD XXXX EFXF AXEX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 778 |
Words | 152 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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