Cheerfulness Taught By Reason
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
I THINK we are too ready with complaint
In this fair world of God's. Had we no hope
Indeed beyond the zenith and the slope
Of yon gray blank of sky, we might grow faint
To muse upon eternity's constraint
Round our aspirant souls; but since the scope
Must widen early, is it well to droop,
For a few days consumed in loss and taint ?
O pusillanimous Heart, be comforted
And, like a cheerful traveller, take the road
Singing beside the hedge. What if the bread
Be bitter in thine inn, and thou unshod
To meet the flints ? At least it may be said
' Because the way is short, I thank thee, God. '
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 29, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 108 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABCADEFAFG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 594 |
Words | 117 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Cheerfulness Taught By Reason" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10220/cheerfulness-taught-by-reason>.
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