Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ON EXPECTING SOME BOOKS, by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ON EXPECTING SOME BOOKS, by                 Poet Analysis    
First Line: To-morrow they will come. I know
Last Line: Together in one room with me.
Alternate Author Name(s): Davies, W. H.
Subject(s): Books; Reading


To-morrow they will come. I know
How rich their sweet contents are, so
Upon their dress let Fancy play --
Will it be blue, red, green or grey?
Sweet Books that I have oft heard named,
And seen stand up like blossoms framed,
Through many a common window shown --
When I was moneyless in town;
But never touched their leaves, nor bent
Close to them and inhaled their scent.
They'll come like snowdrops to a Bee
That, tired of empty dreams, can see
Real flowers at last. Until this time,
Now on the threshold of my prime,
I did not guess my poverty;
That none of these rich Books, that lie
Untouched on many a shelf -- save when
A housemaid, dreaming of young men
And music, sport, and dance, and dress,
Will bang them for their dustiness --
That none of these were in my care;
To-morrow I will have them here.
Well do I know their value; they
Will not be purses found, which may
Be full of coppers, nails or keys --
They will not disappoint, like these.
Books I can always trust; for they
Will not tell neighbours what I say,
What time I go to bed and rise,
What eat and drink. They'll make no cries
For cloth to suit the season; no
Oft going out, to make me grow
Jealous of their long absence. When
I'm visited by living men,
They will not sulk and cast black looks
When left unflattered. These sweet Books
Will not be heard to grumble that
I keep the room too cold or hot;
The one in leather will not chide
To feel a cloth one touch his side.
O may their coming never cease!
May my book-family increase;
Clothes, pictures, ornaments of show,
Trinkets and mirrors -- these can go
Outside, that all my Books may be
Together in one room with me.





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