 | Poems Chiefly Lyric and Elegiac |  |
II.
This is her hand, her large and rugged hand:
Strong nervous fingers, stiff with homely toil,
Yet capable; for labour cannot spoil
Their native vigour, nor their swift command
Of household tools, indoors or on the land.
What if rough work must harden and must soil
Her massive palms? They are but as a foil
To that sweet face which all can understand.
Strong nervous fingers, stiff with homely toil,
Yet capable; for labour cannot spoil
Their native vigour, nor their swift command
Of household tools, indoors or on the land.
What if rough work must harden and must soil
Her massive palms? They are but as a foil
To that sweet face which all can understand.
Yes, all enjoy the beauty of her face;
But few perceive the pathos and the power
Of those broad hands, or feel that inner grace
Of which they are the symbol and the flower:
The grace of lowly help; of duty done
Unselfishly, for all—for anyone.
But few perceive the pathos and the power
Of those broad hands, or feel that inner grace
Of which they are the symbol and the flower:
The grace of lowly help; of duty done
Unselfishly, for all—for anyone.
| Poems Chiefly Lyric and Elegiac | |