It's not so much what you say As the manner in which you say it; It's not so much the language you use As the tone in which you convey it; @3"Come here!"@1 I sharply said, And the child cowered and wept. "Come here," I said -- He looked and smiled And straight to my lap he crept. Words may be mild and fair And the tone may pierce like a dart; Words may be soft as the summer air But the tone may break my heart; For words come from the mind Grow by study and art -- But tone leaps from the inner self Revealing the state of the heart. Whether you know it or not, Whether you mean or care, Gentleness, kindness, love, and hate, Envy, anger, are there. Then, would you quarrels avoid And peace and love rejoice? Keep anger not only out of your words -- Keep it out of your voice. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CARGO MOVING TO GAZA (1988) by MARVIN BELL CONTRA MORTEM: THE WATER by HAYDEN CARRUTH ABOVE HALF MOON by JAMES GALVIN MEMORY by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SORROW SINGERS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON NOBODY'S LOOKIN' BUT DE OWL AND DE MOON (A NEGRO SERENADE) by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON IMPRESSIONS OF FRANCOIS-MARIE AROUET (DE VOLTAIRE) by EZRA POUND |