Love Thyself Last

Love thyself last. Look near, behold thy duty
    To those who walk beside thee down life's road;
Make glad their days by little acts of beauty,
    And help them bear the burden of earth's load.

Love thyself last. Look far and find the stranger,
    Who staggers 'neath his sin and his despair;
Go lend a hand, and lead him out of danger,
    To hights where he may see the world is fair.

Love thyself last. The vastnesses above thee
    Are filled with Spirit Forces, strong and pure.
And fervently, these faithful friends shall love thee:
    Keep thou thy watch o'er others and endure.

Love thyself last; and oh, such joy shall thrill thee,
    As never yet to selfish souls was given.
Whate'er thy lot, a perfect peace will fill thee,
    And earth shall seem the ante-room of Heaven.

Love thyself last, and them shall grow in spirit
    To see, to hear, to know, and understand.
The message of the stars, lo, thou shall hear it,
    And all God's joys shall be at thy command.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet, born on November 5, 1850, and died on October 30, 1919. She was known for her works expressing optimistic views and moral lessons. Her most famous book was 'Poems of Passion'. Her poem 'Solitude' contains the famous lines, 'Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone'. Over her career, Wilcox became popularly known as a 'people's poet'.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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A Leaf.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Simple Poetry

English

Suggested Poems

Explore a curated selection of verses that share themes, styles, and emotional resonance with the poem you've just read.

Behold The Earth

Behold the earth swung in among the stars
Fit home for gods if men were only kind -
Do thou thy part to shape it to those ends,
By shaping thine own life to perfectness.
Seek nothing for thyself or thine own kin
That robs another of one hope or joy,
Let no man toil in poverty and pain
To give thee unearned luxury and ease.
Feed not the hungry servitor with stones,
That idle guests may fatten on thy bread.
Look for the good in stranger and in foe,
Nor save thy praises for the cherished few;
And let the weakest sinner find in thee
An impetus to reach receding heights.
Behold the earth swung in among the stars -
Fit home for gods; wake thou the God within
And by the broad example of thy love
Communicate Omnipotence to men.
All men are unawakened gods:  ...

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

High Noon

Time's finger on the dial of my life
Points to high noon! and yet the half-spent day
Leaves less than half remaining, for the dark,
Bleak shadows of the grave engulf the end.

To those who burn the candle to the stick,
The sputtering socket yields but little light.
Long life is sadder than an early death.
We cannot count on raveled threads of age
Whereof to weave a fabric. We must use
The warp and woof the ready present yields
And toil while daylight lasts. When I bethink
How brief the past, the future still more brief,
Calls on to action, action! Not for me
Is time for retrospection or for dreams,
Not time for self-laudation or remorse.
Have I done nobly? Then I must not let
Dead yesterday unborn to-morrow shame.
Have I done wrong? Well, let the bit...

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

High Noon

Time's finger on the dial of my life
Points to high noon! and yet the half-spent day
Leaves less than half remaining, for the dark,
Bleak shadows of the grave engulf the end.
To those who burn the candle to the stick,
The sputtering socket yields but little light.
Long life is sadder than an early death.
We cannot count on ravelled threads of age
Whereof to weave a fabric.    We must use
The warp and woof the ready present yields
And toil while daylight lasts.    When I bethink
How brief the past, the future, still more brief
Calls on to action, action!    Not for me
Is time for retrospection or for dreams,
Not time for self-laudation or remorse.
Have I done nobly?    Then I must not let
Dead yesterday unborn to-morrow shame.
Have I done wrong?    Well, l...

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Give

Live, and thou shalt receive.    Give thoughts of cheer,
    Of courage and success, to friend and stranger.
And from a thousand sources, far and near,
    Strength will be sent thee in thy hour of danger.

Give words of comfort, of defence, and hope,
    To mortals crushed by sorrow and by error.
And though thy feet through shadowy paths may grope,
    Thou shalt not walk in loneliness or terror.

Give of thy gold, though small thy portion be.
    Gold rusts and shrivels in the hand that keeps it.
It grows in one that opens wide and free.
    Who sows his harvest is the one who reaps it.

Give of thy love, nor wait to know the worth
    Of what thou lovest; and ask no returning.
And wheresoe'er thy pathway leads on earth,
    There thou shalt find t...

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Listen

Whoever you are as you read this,
    Whatever your trouble or grief,
I want you to know and to heed this,
    The day draweth near with relief.

No sorrow, no woe, is unending;
    Though heaven seems voiceless and dumb,
Remember your cry is ascending,
    And an answer will certainly come.

Whatever temptation is near you,
    Whose eyes on this simple verse fall,
Remember good angels will hear you,
    And help you, so sure as you call.

Who stunned with despair, I beseech you,
    Whatever your losses, your need,
Believe when these printed words reach you -
    Believe you were born to succeed.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Most Blest Is He

Most blest is he who in the morning time
Sets forth upon his journey with no staff
Shaped by another for his use.    Who sees
The imminent necessity for toil,
And with each morning wakens to the thought
Of tasks that wait his doing.    Never yet
Has unearned leisure and the gift of gold
Bestowed such benefits upon the young
As need and loneliness; and when life adds
The burden of a duty, difficult,
And hard to carry, then rejoice, O soul!
And know thyself one chosen for high things.
Behind thee walk the Helpers.    Yet lead on!
They only help the lifters, and they give
But unto those who also freely give.
Not till thy will, thy courage, and thy strength
Have done their utmost, and thy love has flowed
In pity and compassion, out to all
(The worthless,...

Ella Wheeler Wilcox