Back Aa

Poems Every Child Should Know

Close

<h3>The Ship of State.</h3> <div class="pre_poem">A president of a well-known college writes me that "The Ship of State" was his favourite poem when he was a boy, and did more than any other to shape his course in life. Longfellow (1807-82). </div> <table class="poem" summary="poem"><tr><td><div class="stanza"> Sail on, sail on, O Ship of State! Sail on, O Union, strong and great! Humanity, with all its fears, With all the hopes of future years, Is hanging breathless on thy fate! We know what Master laid thy keel, What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel, Who made each mast, and sail, and rope; What anvils rang, what hammers beat, In what a forge and what a heat Were forged the anchors of thy hope! Fear not each sudden sound and shock— 'Tis of the wave, and not the rock; 'Tis but the flapping of the sail, And not a rent made by the gale! In spite of rock, and tempest roar, In spite of false lights on the shore, Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea! Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee. Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, Our faith, triumphant o'er our fears, Are all with thee, are all with thee! </div> </td></tr></table> Henry W. Longfellow. The Constitution and Laws are here personified, and addressed as "The Ship of State." <h3>America.</h3> <div class="pre_poem">"America" (Samuel Francis Smith, 1808-95) is a good poem to learn as a poem, regardless of the fact that every American who can sing it ought to know it, that he may join in the chorus when patriotic celebrations call for it. My boys love to repeat the entire poem, but I often find masses of people trying to sing it, knowing only one stanza. It is our national anthem, and a part of our education to know every word of it. </div> <table class="poem" summary="poem"><tr><td><div class="stanza"> My country, 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrims' pride; From every mountain side, Let freedom ring. </div> <div class="stanza"> My native country, thee— Land of the noble free— Thy name I love; I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills; My heart with rapture thrills, Like that above. </div> <div class="stanza"> Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet freedom's song; Let mortal tongues awake; Let all that breathe partake; Let rocks their silence break— The sound prolong. </div> <div class="stanza"> Our fathers' God, to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing: Long may our land be bright With freedom's holy light: Protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King. </div> </td></tr></table> S.F. Smith. <h3>The Landing of the Pilgrims.</h3> <div class="pre_poem">"The Landing of the Pilgrims," by Felicia Hemans (1749-1835), is a poem that children want when they study the early history of America. </div> <table class="poem" summary="poem"><tr><td><div class="stanza"> The breaking waves dashed high On a stern and rock-bound coast, And the woods against a stormy sky Their giant branches tossed. </div> <div class="stanza"> And the heavy night hung dark The hills and waters o'er, When a band of exiles moored their bark On the wild New England shore. </div> <div class="stanza"> Not as the conqueror comes, They, the true-hearted, came; Not with the roll of the stirring drums, And the trumpet that sings of fame. </div> <div class="stanza"> Not as the flying come, In silence and in fear; They shook the depths of the desert gloom With their hymns of lofty cheer. </div> <div class="stanza"> Amid the storm they sang, And the stars heard, and the sea, And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang To the anthem of the free! </div> <div class="stanza"> The ocean eagle soared From his nest by the white wave's foam; And the rocking pines of the forest roared,— This was their welcome home! </div> <div class="stanza"> There were men with hoary hair, Amid that pilgrim band; Why had they come to wither there, Away from their childhood's land? </div> <div class="stanza"> There was woman's fearless eye, Lit by her deep love's truth; There was manhood's brow serenely high, And the fiery heart of youth. </div> <div class="stanza"> What sought they thus afar? Bright jewels of the mine? The wealth of seas, the spoils of war?— They sought a faith's pure shrine! </div> <div class="stanza"> Ay! call it holy ground, The soil where first they trod: They have left unstained what there they found, Freedom to worship God. </div> </td></tr></table> Felicia Hemans. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

1 of 2

2 of 2