[ { "title": "My life has been the poem", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "My life has been the poem I would have writ,", "But I could not both live and utter it." ], "linecount": "2" }, { "title": "The Summer Rain", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "My books I'd fain cast off, I cannot read,", "'Twixt every page my thoughts go stray at large", "Down in the meadow, where is richer feed,", "And will not mind to hit their proper targe.", "Plutarch was good, and so was Homer too,", "Our Shakespeare's life were rich to live again,", "What Plutarch read, that was not good nor true,", "Nor Shakespeare's books, unless his books were men.", "", "Here while I lie beneath this walnut bough,", "What care I for the Greeks or for Troy town,", "If juster battles are enacted now", "Between the ants upon this hummock's crown?", "", "Bid Homer wait till I the issue learn,", "If red or black the gods will favor most,", "Or yonder Ajax will the phalanx turn,", "Struggling to heave some rock against the host.", "", "Tell Shakespeare to attend some leisure hour,", "For now I've business with this drop of dew,", "And see you not, the clouds prepare a shower--", "I'll meet him shortly when the sky is blue.", "", "This bed of herd's grass and wild oats was spread", "Last year with nicer skill than monarchs use.", "A clover tuft is pillow for my head,", "And violets quite overtop my shoes.", "", "And now the cordial clouds have shut all in,", "And gently swells the wind to say all's well;", "The scattered drops are falling fast and thin,", "Some in the pool, some in the flower-bell.", "", "I am well drenched upon my bed of oats;", "But see that globe come rolling down its stem,", "Now like a lonely planet there it floats,", "And now it sinks into my garment's hem.", "", "Drip drip the trees for all the country round,", "And richness rare distills from every bough;", "The wind alone it is makes every sound,", "Shaking down crystals on the leaves below.", "", "For shame the sun will never show himself,", "Who could not with his beams e'er melt me so;", "My dripping locks--they would become an elf,", "Who in a beaded coat does gayly go." ], "linecount": "40" }, { "title": "Within the Circuit of This Plodding Life", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "Within the circuit of this plodding life", "There enter moments of an azure hue,", "Untarnished fair as is the violet", "Or anemone, when the spring strews them", "By some meandering rivulet, which make", "The best philosophy untrue that aims", "But to console man for his grievances", "I have remembered when the winter came,", "High in my chamber in the frosty nights,", "When in the still light of the cheerful moon,", "On every twig and rail and jutting spout,", "The icy spears were adding to their length", "Against the arrows of the coming sun,", "How in the shimmering noon of summer past", "Some unrecorded beam slanted across", "The upland pastures where the Johnswort grew;", "Or heard, amid the verdure of my mind,", "The bee's long smothered hum, on the blue flag", "Loitering amidst the mead; or busy rill,", "Which now through all its course stands still and dumb", "Its own memorial,—purling at its play", "Along the slopes, and through the meadows next,", "Until its youthful sound was hushed at last", "In the staid current of the lowland stream;", "Or seen the furrows shine but late upturned,", "And where the fieldfare followed in the rear,", "When all the fields around lay bound and hoar", "Beneath a thick integument of snow.", "So by God's cheap economy made rich", "To go upon my winter's task again." ], "linecount": "30" }, { "title": "Prayer", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "Great God, I ask for no meaner pelf", "Than that I may not disappoint myself,", "That in my action I may soar as high", "As I can now discern with this clear eye.", "And next in value, which thy kindness lends,", "That I may greatly disappoint my friends,", "Howe'er they think or hope that it may be,", "They may not dream how thou'st distinguished me.", "", "That my weak hand may equal my firm faith", "And my life practice what my tongue saith", "That my low conduct may not show", "Nor my relenting lines", "That I thy purpose did not know", "Or overrated thy designs." ], "linecount": "14" }, { "title": "Inspiration", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "Whate'er we leave to God, God does,", "And blesses us;", "The work we choose should be our own,", "God leaves alone.", "If with light head erect I sing,", "Though all the Muses lend their force,", "From my poor love of anything,", "The verse is weak and shallow as its source.", "", "But if with bended neck I grope", "Listening behind me for my wit,", "With faith superior to hope,", "More anxious to keep back than forward it;", "", "Making my soul accomplice there", "Unto the flame my heart hath lit,", "Then will the verse forever wear--", "Time cannot bend the line which God hath writ.", "", "Always the general show of things", "Floats in review before my mind,", "And such true love and reverence brings,", "That sometimes I forget that I am blind.", "", "But now there comes unsought, unseen,", "Some clear divine electuary,", "And I, who had but sensual been,", "Grow sensible, and as God is, am wary.", "", "I hearing get, who had but ears,", "And sight, who had but eyes before,", "I moments live, who lived but years,", "And truth discern, who knew but learning's lore.", "", "I hear beyond the range of sound,", "I see beyond the range of sight,", "New earths and skies and seas around,", "And in my day the sun doth pale his light.", "", "A clear and ancient harmony", "Pierces my soul through all its din,", "As through its utmost melody--", "Farther behind than they, farther within.", "", "More swift its bolt than lightning is,", "Its voice than thunder is more loud,", "It doth expand my privacies", "To all, and leave me single in the crowd.", "", "It speaks with such authority,", "With so serene and lofty tone,", "That idle Time runs gadding by,", "And leaves me with Eternity alone.", "", "Now chiefly is my natal hour,", "And only now my prime of life;", "Of manhood's strength it is the flower,", "'Tis peace's end and war's beginning strife.", "", "It comes in summer's broadest noon,", "By a grey wall or some chance place,", "Unseasoning Time, insulting June,", "And vexing day with its presuming face.", "", "Such fragrance round my couch it makes,", "More rich than are Arabian drugs,", "That my soul scents its life and wakes", "The body up beneath its perfumed rugs.", "", "Such is the Muse, the heavenly maid,", "The star that guides our mortal course,", "Which shows where life's true kernel's laid,", "Its wheat's fine flour, and its undying force.", "", "She with one breath attunes the spheres,", "And also my poor human heart,", "With one impulse propels the years", "Around, and gives my throbbing pulse its start.", "", "I will not doubt for evermore,", "Nor falter from a steadfast faith,", "For thought the system be turned o'er,", "God takes not back the word which once He saith.", "", "I will not doubt the love untold", "Which not my worth nor want has bought,", "Which wooed me young, and woos me old,", "And to this evening hath me brought.", "", "My memory I'll educate", "To know the one historic truth,", "Remembering to the latest date", "The only true and sole immortal youth.", "", "Be but thy inspiration given,", "No matter through what danger sought,", "I'll fathom hell or climb to heaven,", "And yet esteem that cheap which love has bought.", "___________________", "", "Fame cannot tempt the bard", "Who's famous with his God,", "Nor laurel him reward", "Who has his Maker's nod." ], "linecount": "85" }, { "title": "The Moon", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "Time wears her not; she doth his chariot guide;", "Mortality below her orb is placed.", "--Raleigh", "", "The full-orbed moon with unchanged ray", "Mounts up the eastern sky,", "Not doomed to these short nights for aye,", "But shining steadily.", "", "She does not wane, but my fortune,", "Which her rays do not bless,", "My wayward path declineth soon,", "But she shines not the less.", "", "And if she faintly glimmers here,", "And paled is her light,", "Yet alway in her proper sphere", "She's mistress of the night." ], "linecount": "15" }, { "title": "Let such pure hate still underprop", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "\"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, and Lovers.\"", "", "Let such pure hate still underprop", "Our love, that we may be", "Each other's conscience,", "And have our sympathy", "Mainly from thence.", "", "We'll one another treat like gods,", "And all the faith we have", "In virtue and in truth, bestow", "On either, and suspicion leave", "To gods below.", "", "Two solitary stars--", "Unmeasured systems far", "Between us roll;", "But by our conscious light we are", "Determined to one pole.", "", "What need confound the sphere?--", "Love can afford to wait;", "For it no hour's too late", "That witnesseth one duty's end,", "Or to another doth beginning lend.", "", "It will subserve no use,", "More than the tints of flowers;", "Only the independent guest", "Frequents its bowers,", "Inherits its bequest.", "", "No speech, though kind, has it;", "But kinder silence doles", "Unto its mates;", "By night consoles,", "By day congratulates.", "", "What saith the tongue to tongue?", "What hearest ear of ear?", "By the decrees of fate", "From year to year,", "Does it communicate.", "", "Pathless the gulf of feeling yawns;", "No trivial bridge of words,", "Or arch of boldest span,", "Can leap the moat that girds", "The sincere man.", "", "No show of bolts and bars", "Can keep the foeman out,", "Or 'scape his secret mine,", "Who entered with the doubt", "That drew the line.", "", "No warder at the gate", "Can let the friendly in;", "But, like the sun, o'er all", "He will the castle win,", "And shine along the wall.", "", "There's nothing in the world I know", "That can escape from love,", "For every depth it goes below,", "And every height above.", "It waits, as waits the sky,", "Until the clouds go by,", "Yet shines serenely on", "With an eternal day,", "Alike when they are gone,", "And when they stay.", "", "Implacable is Love--", "Foes may be bought or teased", "From their hostile intent,", "But he goes unappeased", "Who is on kindness bent." ], "linecount": "66" }, { "title": "I am the autumnal sun", "author": "Henry David Thoreau", "lines": [ "Sometimes a mortal feels in himself Nature", "-- not his Father but his Mother stirs", "within him, and he becomes immortal with her", "immortality. From time to time she claims", "kindredship with us, and some globule", "from her veins steals up into our own.", "", "I am the autumnal sun,", "With autumn gales my race is run;", "When will the hazel put forth its flowers,", "Or the grape ripen under my bowers?", "When will the harvest or the hunter's moon", "Turn my midnight into mid-noon?", "I am all sere and yellow,", "And to my core mellow.", "The mast is dropping within my woods,", "The winter is lurking within my moods,", "And the rustling of the withered leaf", "Is the constant music of my grief...." ], "linecount": "18" } ]