'Tis Well to Have a Merry Heart
Dublin Core
Title
'Tis Well to Have a Merry Heart
Description
'Tis well to have a merry heart,
If life but brings us happiness,
There's beauty in a hearty laugh—
The sun may shroud itself in cloud,
However short we stay;
There's wisdom in a merry heart,Whate'er the world may say!
Philosophy may lift its head,And find out many a flaw,
But give me that philosophyThat's happy with a straw!
If life but brings us happiness,
It brings us, we are told,
What's hard to buy, though rich ones tryWith all their heaps of gold.
Then laugh away—let others sayWhate'er they will of mirth;
Who laughs the most may truly sayHe's got the wealth of the earth.
There's beauty in a hearty laugh—
A moral beauty, too;
It show's the heart's an honest heart,That's paid each man his due,
And lent a share of what's to spare,Despite of wisdom's fears,
And made the cheek less sorrow speak,The eye weeps fewer tears.
The sun may shroud itself in cloud,
The tempest wrath begin;
It finds a spark to cheer the dark,Its sunlight is within!
Then laugh away, let others sayWhate'er they will of mirth;
Who laughs the most may truly boastHe's got the wealth of earth!
Creator
Charles Swain
Source
1:47, p. 1
Date
6.9.1860
Collection
Citation
Charles Swain, “'Tis Well to Have a Merry Heart,” Periodical Poets, accessed September 8, 2024, https://periodicalpoets.com/items/show/686.
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