WE just shake hands at meeting With many that come nigh, We nod the head in greeting To many that go by. But we welcome through the gateway Our few old friends and true; Then hearts leap up and straightway There's open house for you, Old friends, Wide-open house for you. The surface will be sparkling, Let but a sunbeam shine, But in the deep lies darkling The true life of the wine. The froth is for the many, The wine is for the few; Unseen, untouched of any, We keep the best for you, Old friends, The very best for you. "The many" cannot know us, They only pace the strand Where at our worst we show us, The waters thick with sand; But out beyond the leaping Dim surge "'t is clear and blue," And there, old friends, we're keeping A waiting calm for you, Old friends, A sacred calm for you. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ONE WAY OF LOVE by ROBERT BROWNING AT THE CEDARS by DUNCAN CAMPBELL SCOTT GOOD-NIGHT by PHILIP EDWARD THOMAS TO MY READERS by ALEXANDER ANDERSON ALL HAIL TO THE CZAR! by ALFRED AUSTIN OUR DAILY BREAD by MALTBIE DAVENPORT BABCOCK |