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A Wayfaring Song
by
Henry van Dyke


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O who will walk a mile with me
Along life's merry way?
A comrade blithe and full of glee,
Who dares to laugh out loud and free,
And let his frolic fancy play,
Like a happy child, through the flowers gay
That fill the field and fringe the way
Where he walks a mile with me.

And who will walk a mile with me
Along life's weary way?
A friend whose heart has eyes to see
The stars shine out o'er the darkening lea,
And the quiet rest at the end o' the day,--
A friend who knows, and dares to say,
The brave, sweet words that cheer the way
Where he walks a mile with me.

With such a comrade, such a friend,
I fain would walk till journeys end,
Through summer sunshine, winter rain,
And then?--Farewell, we shall meet again! 

This poem is in the public domain.

 


Henry van Dyke (1852 - 1933) was born in Pennsylvania.  A nature lover and avid reader, he earned degrees from Princeton then served as a Presbyterian minister for more than 20 years. (He was considered one of the best preachers in New York City.) He eventually returned to Princeton, where he spent nearly 20 years as a professor of English--with a bit of service as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg and the Netherlands in between. A writer whose talent extended to many different genres, Henry's best known works are probably the lyrics of the hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" and  the Christmas stories, "The Story of the Other Wise Man" and "The First Christmas Tree." 

 


Post New Comment:
cork:
Oh, how I love rhyme!
Posted 02/29/2016 08:17 AM
ElizabethP:
Perfect poem for today. Hadn't read that one for a very long time.
Posted 02/29/2016 08:15 AM
rhonasheridan:
Heard many years ago but not forgotten. I never knew who wrote it or what it was called. Lovely to find it again.
Posted 02/29/2016 04:01 AM


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