Songs of Joy

Songs of Joy written by William Henry Davies

From "Songs of Joy", 1911

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Sing out, my Soul, thy songs of joy;
  Such as a happy bird will sing
Beneath a Rainbow's lovely arch
  In early spring.

Think not of Death in thy young days;
  Why shouldst thou that g r im tyrant fear,
And fear him not when thou art old,
  And he is near?

Strive not for gold, for greedy fools
  Measure themselves by poor men never;
Their standard still being richer men,
  Makes them poor ever.

Train up thy mind to feel content,
  What matters then how low thy store?
What we enjoy, and not possess,
  Makes rich or poor.

Filled with sweet thought, then happy I
  Take not my state from others' eyes;
What's in my mind - not on my flesh
  Or theirs - I prize.

Sing, happy Soul, thy songs of joy;
  Such as a Brook sings in the wood,
That all night has been strengthened by
  Heaven's purer flood.

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