The Mint

The Mint written by William Henry Davies

From "The Song of Life", 1920

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Nature has made my mind a mint,
My thoughts are coins, on which I live;
The dies, with which I stamp my thoughts,
Trees, blossoms, birds, and children give.

Sometimes my die's a homeless man,
Or babes that have no milk and perish;
Sometimes it is a lady fair,
Whose grace and loveliness I relish.

But all my love-thoughts, until now,
Were false to utter, and must cease;
And not another coin must pass
Without your image on each piece.

So, you shall be my queen from now,
Your face on every thought I utter;
And I'll be rich - although the world
May judge my metal's worth no better.

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