Work
Henry Van Dyke 1852 (Germantown, Pennsylvania) – 1933 (Princeton, New Jersey)
Let me but do my work from day to day,
In field or forest, at the desk or loom,
In roaring market-place or tranquil room;
Let me but find it in my heart to say,
When vagrant wishes beckon me astray,
"This is my work; my blessing, not my doom;
"Of all who live, I am the one by whom
"This work can best be done in the right way."
Then shall I see it not too great, nor small,
To suit my spirit and to prove my powers;
Then shall I cheerful greet the labouring hours,
And cheerful turn, when the long shadows fall
At eventide, to play and love and rest,
Because I know for me my work is best.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 28, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 115 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBA CDDCEE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 585 |
Words | 125 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"Work" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/18411/work>.
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