And can my simple harp be strung To higher theme, to nobler end, Than that of gratitude to thee, To thee, my father and my friend? I may not, cannot, will not say All that a grateful heart would breathe; But I may frame a simple lay, Nor Slander blight the blushing wreath. Yes, I will touch the string to thee, Nor fear its wildness will offend; For well I know that thou wilt be, What thou hast ever been -- a friend. There are, whose cold and idle gaze Would freeze the current where it flows; But Gratitude shall guard the fount, And Faith shall light it as it flows. Then tell me, may I dare to twine, While o'er my simple harp I bend, This little offering for thee, For thee, my father, and my friend? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...POOR POLL by ROBERT SEYMOUR BRIDGES THE HOUSE OF LIFE: 72. THE CHOICE (2) by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI QUATRAIN: FROM EASTERN SOURCES: 2 by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE IMPROVISATORE: RODOLPH THE WILD by THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES THE DEAD OF THE WILDERNESS by CHAIM NACHMAN BIALIK THIEPVAL WOOD by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |