 | Poems and verses by Mary Mapes Dodge |  |
196
KATRINKA.
Katrinka, fresh as the morning,
Gazed from her casement low;
Far off, the great-sailed windmills
Stood darkly in a row,
And the sky with the changing splendor
Of dawn was all aglow.
Gazed from her casement low;
Far off, the great-sailed windmills
Stood darkly in a row,
And the sky with the changing splendor
Of dawn was all aglow.
“I wonder,” thought the maiden,
Thrilled with the glorious sight,
“If all the beauty around us,
And all the love and delight,
Come flooding the earth at sunrise
To bide with us, day and night?
Thrilled with the glorious sight,
“If all the beauty around us,
And all the love and delight,
Come flooding the earth at sunrise
To bide with us, day and night?
“I wonder if all the goodness
That makes us steady and true
Glides softly in with the dawning
To gladden us through and through—
To lift our hearts to the Giver,
And help us in all we do?
That makes us steady and true
Glides softly in with the dawning
To gladden us through and through—
To lift our hearts to the Giver,
And help us in all we do?
197
“Yet, whether we lose it or keep it
Depends upon many a thing:
Whether we 're lazy or busy;
Whether we grumble or sing;
Whether our thoughts are noble,
Or whether they grovel and sting.
Depends upon many a thing:
Whether we 're lazy or busy;
Whether we grumble or sing;
Whether our thoughts are noble,
Or whether they grovel and sting.
“Oh, the wonderful sky!” sighed Katrinka,
“How grand!—But the day has begun;
There 's breakfast, and spinning, and mending,
And the kettles to shine—one by one.
Good-by, you dear, beautiful morning!
There 's so much to do; I must run.”
“How grand!—But the day has begun;
There 's breakfast, and spinning, and mending,
And the kettles to shine—one by one.
Good-by, you dear, beautiful morning!
There 's so much to do; I must run.”
Bright little maiden, Katrinka,
In the land of the dike and the sea!
They who live in the glow of the dawning
Are, all the world over, like thee.
Bearers of sunlight and gladness,
Faithful in shadow and sadness—
The path of the day is diviner
Wherever their light may be.
In the land of the dike and the sea!
They who live in the glow of the dawning
Are, all the world over, like thee.
Bearers of sunlight and gladness,
Faithful in shadow and sadness—
The path of the day is diviner
Wherever their light may be.
| Poems and verses by Mary Mapes Dodge | |