Tag: Poetry

The Tide Rises The Tide Falls ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Tide Rises The Tide Falls
 
 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 The tide rises, the tide falls, 
 The twilight darkens, the curlew calls; 
 Along the sea-sands damp and brown
 The traveler hastens toward the town, 
 And the tide rises, the tide falls. 
 Darkness settles on roofs and walls, 
 But the sea, the sea in darkness calls; 
 The little waves, with their soft, white hands
 Efface the footprints in the sands, 
 And the tide rises, the tide falls. 
 The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
 Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls; 
 The day returns, but nevermore
 Returns the traveler to the shore. 
 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
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A Celtic Prayer

A Celtic Prayer

Deep peace of the
running waves to you.
Deep peace of the
flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the
quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the
shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the
Son of Peace to you.

To My Dear & Loving Husband ~ Anne Bradstreet

To My Dear and Loving Husband 

Anne Bradstreet

            IF ever two were one, then surely we.
            If ever man were lov’d by wife, then thee.
            If ever wife was happy in a man,
            Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
            I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
            Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
            My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
            Nor ought but love from thee give recompetence.
            Thy love is such I can no way repay.
            The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
            Then while we live, in love let’s so persever
            That when we live no more, we may live ever.

Happiness ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happiness
 

 Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

 Are you seeking for greatness, O brother of mine,
 As the full, fleeting seasons and years glide away?
 If seeking directly and for self alone,
 The true and abiding you never can stay.
 But all self forgetting, know well the law,
 It's the hero, and not the self-seeker, who's crowned.
 Then go lose your life in the service of others,
 And, lo! with rare greatness and glory 'twill abound.

Drinking Alone ~ Li Po

Drinking Alone

 Li Po

 I take my wine jug out among the flowers
 to drink alone, without friends.

 I raise my cup to entice the moon.
 That, and my shadow, makes us three.

 But the moon doesn't drink,
 and my shadow silently follows.

 I will travel with moon and shadow,
 happy to the end of spring.

 When I sing, the moon dances.
 When I dance, my shadow dances, too.

 We share life's joys when sober.
 Drunk, each goes a separate way.

 Constant friends, although we wander,
 we'll meet again in the Milky Way.

Silence ~ Langston Hughes

Silence

 Langston Hughes


 I catch the pattern 
 Of your silence
 Before you speak

 I do not need
 To hear a word.
 
 In your silence
 Every tone I seek
 Is heard

Do Not Stand at My Grave & Weep ~ Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep 

Mary Elizabeth Frye
 

 Do not stand at my grave and weep 
 I am not there. I do not sleep. 
 I am a thousand winds that blow. 
 I am the diamond glints on snow. 
 I am the sunlight on ripened grain. 
 I am the gentle autumn rain. 
 When you awaken in the morning's hush 
 I am the swift uplifting rush 
 Of quiet birds in circled flight. 
 I am the soft stars that shine at night. 
 Do not stand at my grave and cry; 
 I am not there. I did not die.