 | The Poetry of Real Life |  |
149
MEANS OF CIVILIZATION.
With things of little cost, of every day,As common as kind words and gentle looks,
And daily greetings, and familiar books,
That teach us wisdom while it seems but play:
With means at hand still by life's daily way,
As natural as flowers by the brooks,
As pleasant as field-paths thro' sylvan nooks,
And so cheap that the poorest can defray
The expense thereof: with these, and things like these,
We work our wonders by the fireside:
Our magic-charms, the kiss of love and peace;
Our magic-circles, small at first, but wide
Enough at last to grasp the world with ease,
Homes, where God, as in temples, doth reside!
| The Poetry of Real Life | |