Truly Great

Truly Great written by William Henry Davies

Nature Poems (1908)

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My walls outside must have some flowers,
  My walls within must have some books;
A house that's small; a garden large,
  And in it leafy nooks.

A little gold that's sure each week;
  That comes not from my living kind,
But from a dead man in his grave,
  Who cannot change his mind.

A lovely wife, and gentle too;
  Contented that no eyes but mine
Can see her many charms, nor voice
  To call her beauty fine.

Where she would in that stone cage live,
  A self-made prisoner, with me;
While many a wild bird sang around,
  On gate, on bush, on tree.

And she sometimes to answer them,
  In her far sweeter voice than all;
Till birds, that loved to look on leaves,
  Will doat on a stone wall.

With this small house, this garden large,
  This little gold, this lovely mate,
With health in body, peace at heart -
  Show me a man more great.

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