Page:Poems that every child should know (ed. Burt, 1904).djvu/258

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Poems That Every Child Should Know

Old Past, let go, and drop i' the sea
Till fathomless waters cover thee!
For I am living, but thou art dead;
Thou drawest back, I strive ahead
The Day to find.
Thy shells unbind! Night comes behind;
I needs must hurry with the wind
And trim me best for sailing.

Sidney Lanier.


A Happy Life.

How happy is he born and taught
That serveth not another's will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!


Whose passions not his master's are,
Whose soul is still prepared for death,
Not tied unto the world with care
Of public fame, or private breath.

Sir Henry Wotton.


Home, Sweet Home!

"Home, Sweet Home" (John Howard Payne, 1791-1852) is a poem that reaches into the heart. What is home? A place where we experience independence, safety, privacy, and where we can dispense hospitality. "The family is the true unit."

'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;