Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TO A SCHOOLGIRL, by LEWIS MORRIS (1833-1907)


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO A SCHOOLGIRL, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: My schoolgirl scans with joy
Last Line: In faith and love.
Subject(s): Girls


MY schoolgirl scans with joy,
Her fair head bending low,
The god-like Tale of Troy,
Bright eyes and cheeks aglow.
Dear heart and innocent soul,
Thee may the fleeting years,
As the swift springtides roll,
Bring joy, not tears.

For thee may knowledge spread
Her fair and ample page,
Deep thoughts of sages dead,
The poet's noble rage.
The gains which science gives,
The statesman's royal lore,
The master-thought which lives
For evermore.

For thee let music wake
Her deep mysterious chords,
Which the rapt soul can take
Higher than any words;
Art's precious garden smile
Through gates enwreathed with flowers,
And fairy dreams beguile
Thy simple hours.

But let no learning dim
Those frank and innocent eyes;
Still let the morning hymn
And daily suffrage rise.
Leave knowledge, which the mind
And not the heart can move
Still, girl; thy treasure find
In Faith and Love.





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