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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
MOTHER'S WORK, by MARY FRANCES MARSHALL BUTTS Poet's Biography
First Line: If thy work be holding dimpled cheeks of babies to thy
Last Line: Innocent as birds in the dewy boughs of maytime.
Subject(s): Mothers
First Line: If thy work be holding dimpled cheeks of babies to thy
Last Line: Innocent as birds in the dewy boughs of maytime.
Subject(s): Mothers
IF thy work be holding dimpled cheeks of babies to thy breast,
Fashioning small garments where the needle moves to inward tune,
Stitching dainty scallops for a little rounded wrist,
Or knitting a silk sheathing for feet as soft as roseleaves,
Count thyself a sister of the gentle Judean woman,
Mother of a Saviour! How knowest thou the outcome
Of this beauteous bud of home? With thee lies the unfolding.
Make thy garden fragrant with tender self-denying.
With love purged pure by prayer, woo the opening blossom.
Thine a holy business set thee by the Father;
All its pains rewarded by gifts of honeyed kisses,
And angel looks that babies bring from heaven,
Clasping of soft arms, and murmuring of lovers
Innocent as birds in the dewy boughs of Maytime.
Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!
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MY MOTHER'S HANDS by ANDREW HUDGINS
CONTINENT'S END by ROBINSON JEFFERS
IN THE 25TH YEAR OF MY MOTHER'S DEATH by JUDY JORDAN
THE PAIDLIN' WEAN by ALEXANDER ANDERSON
BLASTING FROM HEAVEN by PHILIP LEVINE
A MOTHER'S SONG by MARY FRANCES MARSHALL BUTTS