Smiles



Smile a little, smile a little,
 As you go along,
Not alone when life is pleasant,
 But when things go wrong.
Care delights to see you frowning,
 Loves to hear you sigh;
Turn a smiling face upon her –
 Quick the dame will fly.

Smile a little, smile a little,
 All along the road;
Every life must have its burden,
 Every heart its load.
Why sit down in gloom and darkness
With your grief to sup?
As you drink Fate’s bitter tonic,
 Smile across the cup.

Smile upon the troubled pilgrims
 Whom you pass and meet;
Frowns are thorns, and smiles are blossoms
 Oft for weary feet.
Do not make the way seem harder
 By a sullen face;
Smile a little, smile a little,
 Brighten up the place.

Smile upon your undone labour;
 Not for one who grieves
O’er his task waits wealth or glory;
 He who smiles achieves.
Though you meet with loss and sorrow
 In the passing years,
Smile a little, smile a little,
 Even through your tears.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 27, 2023

51 sec read
129

Quick analysis:

Scheme Abxbxcdc Aexexfxf ghghdiAi xjxjxxAx
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 916
Words 172
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem Smiles with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Smiles" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10789/smiles>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    8
    hours
    2
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Sestina is made up of how many lines?
    A 39
    B 6
    C 28
    D 36