Classic and Contemporary Poetry
STONE WALL BUILDERS, by EDITH HASKELL TAPPAN First Line: Sturdy and staunch were those new england men Last Line: In this the land we love! Subject(s): Labor & Laborers; New England; Stones; Walls; Work; Workers; Granite; Rocks | ||||||||
Sturdy and staunch were those New England men Who piled gray rocks with patient strength and care Along New England's borders. Summer heat, Spring rains nor Autumn's chill Could daunt their courage as they built, to stand. Fathers and sons, with vigor and with power Worked there together to build up the walls Enclosing family pride in shape of ground. Did not these rocks build character anew On this New England soil? Small wonder, then, that sons grew lithe and strong To carry their traditions through succeeding years! Then, if a queer-shaped rock fell out of place And left a gaping hole, most hard to fill, It was as natural that, within the home, Sometimes an odd stone would roll out of bounds -- Not loved the less, but seeming not to fit, And causing anguish to engage the wound. Still down the decades do the stone walls trace Emblems of our first settlers; some in disrepair As families sometimes fallen in disrepute, But mostly mended, standing firm and strong As have the scions of our ancestors In this the land we love! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...STONE'S SECRET by MARGARET AVISON CONTRA MORTEM: THE STONE by HAYDEN CARRUTH NAMING FOR LOVE by HAYDEN CARRUTH OF THE STONES OF THE PLACE by ROBERT FROST THE EYE IN THE ROCK by JOHN HAINES THE HEAD ON THE TABLE by JOHN HAINES BONFIRES by EDITH HASKELL TAPPAN |
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