Classic Poem

“'Tis cold,” the idle cynic cries,
“The winds are bleak, the way is bare,
No warmth is in the wintry skies,
The drifts are everywhere;
And we are stung with shafts of sleet,
And smitten by the breath of frost;
On life's cold beaches tempest-beat
The curdled seas are tossed.”
Ah, good man, leave the icy sands,
The wintry shore and sea at strife;
Stretch forth your palms, and warm both hands
Before the fire of life.

Good man, 'tis not the wintry skies,
'Tis not the frozen mountains old;
Within, within, your torpor lies,
Your heart within is cold.
Dulled by the blighting fogs that roll
Around the lowland fens of doubt,
Upon the hearthstone of your soul
The fires have all gone out.
Let once again the blackened brands
Feel the warm flames' aspiring strife—
Stretch forth your arms, and warm both hands
Before the fire of life.

Upon the hearthstone of the soul
Still let the genial flame burn clear—
Without the surly tempests roll
And blast the ruined year;
Without the storms roar far and wide,
The ruffian winds are fierce and strong—
Around the heart's warm ingleside
Is heard the voice of song.
The warmth within the soul withstands
The outward winter's angry strife;
Heap up the blaze, and warm both hands
Before the fire of life.

You cynic of the drifted snow,
The blasted fields, the barren sand,
Ah, there are vales where zephyrs blow
Their fragrance round the land;
Where the deep rose's swelling breast
Drinks beauty from the summer air,
And where the laughing meads are dressed
In robes of maiden-hair.
And life is sweet in those glad lands,
The air with summer scents is rife;
Go taste its warmth, and warm both hands
Before the fire of life.

The snow is in your wintry sense,
The ice is in your frozen heart;
Then drive December's torpor hence,
And see the mayflowers start.
Behold! The pageant of the spring
Sweeps down the music-haunted glen,
And songs of praise the woodlands sing,
And all hearts cry, “Amen.”
It is the heart's own ingle brands
Make summer peace of winter's strife;
Stretch forth your palms, and warm both hands
Before the fire of life.