THROUGH suffering and sorrow thou hast passed To show us what a woman true may be: They have not taken sympathy from thee, Nor made thee any other than thou wast, Save as some tree, which, in a sudden blast, Sheddeth those blossoms, that are weakly grown, Upon the air, but keepeth every one Whose strength gives warrant of good fruit at last: So thou hast shed some blooms of gayety, But never one of steadfast cheerfulness; Nor hath thy knowledge of adversity Robbed thee of any faith in happiness, But rather cleared thine inner eyes to see How many simple ways there are to bless. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FOR WALT WHITMAN by DAVID IGNATOW THE FORSAKEN MERMAN by MATTHEW ARNOLD CHRISTMAS EVERYWHERE by PHILLIPS BROOKS THE MOWER AGAINST GARDENS by ANDREW MARVELL BELLS FOR JOHN WHITESIDE'S DAUGHTER by JOHN CROWE RANSOM |