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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


MAXIMS FOR THE OLD HOUSE: THE KEEPING-ROOM by ANNA HEMPSTEAD BRANCH

First Line: THE THORN THAT BY THE WAYSIDE GROWS
Last Line: "A HUNDRED YEARS HAVE I BEEN DEAD."
Subject(s): HOUSES;

I

The thorn that by the wayside grows
Comforts the pilgrim with a rose.
Do thou, like him, to charm thy gloom
Perceive the sweetness of this room.

II

If thou perchance shouldst see a face
Smile at thee from an empty space,
Or feel some presence, do not fear,
Those ghosts are kind that loiter here.

III

I met a stranger in this room,
He moved about and seemed at home.
"Good sir," said I, "what dost thou here?"
He turned a pleasant face and said,
"A hundred years have I been dead."



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