My Friend

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



'He is my friend,' I said,--
'Be patient!' Overhead
The skies were drear and dim;
And lo! the thought of him
Smited on my heart--and then
The sun shone out again!

'He is my friend!' The words
Brought summer and the birds;
And all my winter-time
Thawed into running rhyme
And rippled into song,
Warm, tender, brave, and strong.

And so it sings to-day.--
So may it sing alway!
Though waving grasses grow
Between, and lilies blow
Their trills of perfume clear
As laughter to the ear,
Let each mute measure end
With 'Still he is thy friend.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 26, 2023

30 sec read
105

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCC DDEEFF XXGGXXHH
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 526
Words 106
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 8

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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