Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE SHINING LITTLE HOUSE, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE SHINING LITTLE HOUSE, by                    
First Line: "it hung in the sun, the little house"
Last Line: And make the best of our life
Subject(s): Birdcages;reconciliation


IT hung in the sun, the little house,
It hung in the sun and shone;
And through the walls I could hear his voice
Who had it all for his own.

The walls were of wire, as bright as gold,
Wrought in a pretty design;
The spaces between for windows served,
And the floor was clean and fine.

But the door was shut, and locked all tight,
The key was on the outside;
The one who was in could not get out,
No matter how much he tried.

'Twas only a prison, after all,
The bright little house that shone;
Ah, we would not want a house like that,
No matter if 'twere our own!

And yet, through the walls I heard the voice
Of the one who lived inside:
To warble a sweeter song each day,
It did seem as if he tried.

To open the door he never sought,
Nor fluttered in idle strife;
He ate and he drank, and slept and sang,
And made the best of his life.

And I, to myself, said every day,
As his cheery song I heard,
There's a lesson for us in every note
Of that little prisoned bird.

We all of us live a life like his,
We are walled on every side;
We all long to do a hundred things,
Which we could not if we tried.

We can spend our strength all foolishly
In a discontented strife;
Or we can be wise, and laugh and sing;
And make the best of our life.





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