You do not need a bed of down To give you sleep at night, A counterpane of pink and brown And pillow soft and white. You do not need a pretty room All dressed in dainty blue, Where soundest slumber-health may come, With pleasant dreams, to you. But fill the day with labor, Ned, And work with all your might, For that will fill the hardest bed With softest down, at night. And if you want a counterpane With many colors gay, Not only work with might and main, But -- add a bit of play! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE MERCY OF LAZARUS by STEPHEN DOBYNS ONE FAVORED ACORN by ROBERT FROST THE WAR THAT ISN'T WHAT YOU THINK by JAMES GALVIN CALLING DREAMS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SYMPATHY by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON TO JOHN BROWN by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON TO TWO UNKNOWN LADIES by AMY LOWELL |