Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MAXIMS FOR THE OLD HOUSE: THE KEEPING-ROOM, by ANNA HEMPSTEAD BRANCH



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MAXIMS FOR THE OLD HOUSE: THE KEEPING-ROOM, by                     Poet's Biography
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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