Classic and Contemporary Poetry
TO THE CHILDREN, by PHOEBE CARY Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Dear little children, where'er you be Last Line: Be good to one another! Subject(s): Children | ||||||||
DEAR little children, where'er you be, Who are watched and cherished tenderly By father and by mother; Who are comforted by the love that lies In the kindly depths of a sister's eyes, Or the helpful words of a brother: I charge you by the years to come, When some shall be far away from your home, And some shall be gone forever; By all you will have to feel at the last, When you stand alone and think of the past, That you speak unkindly never! For cruel words, nay, even less, Words spoken only in thoughtlessness, Nor kept against you after; If they made the face of a mother sad, Or a tender sister's heart less glad, Or checked a brother's laughter; Will rise again, and they will be heard, And every thoughtless, foolish word That ever your lips have spoken, After the lapse of years and years, Will wring from you such bitters tears As fall when the heart is broken. May you never, never have to say, When a wave from the past on some dreary day Its wrecks at your feet is strewing, "My father had not been bowed so low, Nor my mother left us long ago, But for deeds of my misdoing!" May you never stand alone to weep Where a little sister lies asleep, With the flowery turf upon her, And know you would have gone down to the dead To save one curl of her shining head From sorrow or dishonor: Yet have to think, with bitter tears, Of some little sin of your childish years, Till your soul is anguish-riven; And cry, when there comes no word or smile, "I sinned, but I loved you all the while, And I wait to be forgiven!" May you never say of a brother dear, "Did I do enough to aid and cheer, Did I try to help and guide him? Now the snares of the world about him lie, And if unhonored he live and die, I shall wish I were dead beside him!" Dear little innocent, precious ones, Be loving, dutiful daughters and sons, To father and to mother; And, to save yourselves from the bitter pain That comes when regret and remorse are vain, Be good to one another! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE THREE CHILDREN by JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN CHILDREN SELECTING BOOKS IN A LIBRARY by RANDALL JARRELL COME TO THE STONE ... by RANDALL JARRELL THE LOST WORLD by RANDALL JARRELL A SICK CHILD by RANDALL JARRELL CONTINENT'S END by ROBINSON JEFFERS ON THE DEATH OF FRIENDS IN CHILDHOOD by DONALD JUSTICE MEMORY OF A PORCH by DONALD JUSTICE A LEGEND OF THE NORTHLAND by PHOEBE CARY |
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