Common Joys

Common Joys written by William Henry Davies

From "The Loneliest Mountain", 1939

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See how those diamonds splutter and choke -
What greedy things they are for light!
That pearl, whose pulse less wildly beats,
Is far more restful to my sight.
Soon tired of all those glittering toys,
With my delight and wonder gone -
I send my thoughts, like butterflies
To dream on some old spotted stone.

So, when the Skylark sings no more,
And I have seen the graceful Swallow;
When I have heard the Blackbird too,
And many a bird in field or furrow:
Then to my Sparrow I return,
Who scolds me well for what he misses -
And thinks a common chirp at times
Pays all his debts, like children's kisses.

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.