 | The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley |  |
2185
LONGFELLOW
1807—FEBRUARY 27—1907
O gentlest kinsman of Humanity!Thy love hath touched all hearts, even as thy Song
Hath touched all chords of music that belong
To the quavering heaven-strung harp of harmony:
Thou hast made man to feel and hear and see
Divinely;—made the weak to be the strong;
By thy melodious magic, changed the wrong
To changeless right—and joyed and wept as we.
Worlds listen, lulled and solaced at the spell
That folds and holds us—soul and body, too,—
As though thy songs, as loving arms in stress
Of sympathy and trust ineffable,
Were thrown about us thus by one who knew
Of common human need of kindliness.
| The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley | |