Quiet Work
From Wikisource
| Quiet Work by Sonnets (1849) |
To a Friend→ |
| First in a series of ten sonnets by Matthew Arnold. |
One lesson, Nature, let me learn of thee,
One lesson which in every wind is blown,
One lesson of two duties kept at one
Though the loud world proclaim their enmity--
Of toil unsever'd from tranquility!
Of labor, that in lasting fruit outgrows
Far noisier schemes, accomplish'd in repose,
Too great for haste, too high for rivalry.
Yes, while on earth a thousand discords ring,
Man's fitful uproar mingling with his toil,
Still do thy sleepless ministers move on,
Their glorious tasks in silence perfecting;
Still working, blaming still our vain turmoil,
Laborers that shall not fail, when man is gone.
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This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. |
