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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


TO JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

Poet Analysis

First Line: YOU WHO TO THE ROUNDED PRIME
Last Line: THE BOOK OF JOYOUS CHILDREN.
Subject(s): CHILDREN; LIFE; YOUTH; CHILDHOOD;

YOU who to the rounded prime
Of a life of toil and stress,
Still have kept the morning-time
Of glad youth in heart and spirit,
So your laugh, as children hear it,
Seems their own, no less, --
Take this book of childish rhyme --
The Book of Joyous Children.

Their first happiness on earth
Here is echoed -- their first glee:
Rich, in sooth, the volume's worth --
Not in classic lore, but rich in
The child-sagas of the kitchen; --
Therefore, take from me
To your heart of childish mirth
The Book of Joyous Children.



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