Part 3

He is tactful of your failings, Well acquainted with your whim; And there’s nothing in this wide, wide world You would not do for him.

Draw Closer to the Fire

The summer sweets have faded, The hedge, the vine, and briar, Come, put your hand in mine, my friend, Draw closer to the fire.

From footstools let us view the heights To which great minds aspire; Here’s Riley, Keats and Emerson, Draw closer to the fire.

A brave refrain from unknown bards And Byron’s brave satire, Frank Stanton’s tears and tenderness, Draw closer to the fire.

Tho’ cold the winds and fierce the blast, And thwarted our heart’s desire, We’ve Robert Frost to cheer the hearth, Draw closer to the fire.

Give me your hand, my steadfast friend; The words that friends require Stay with me thru the dying year, Draw closer to the fire.

What Love Is

Love is a magnetism That enables two people To see one another as No one else can see them, A compelling unresisting element Drawing them into each other’s arms. Love is an unselfish devotion, Giving service without reward, Sacrifice without compensation, Suffering without alleviation. It is a power, a force, The fundamental principle of life, Without which, the mere act of living Becomes a farce and a mockery. Love is the foundation of every Unselfish act, in this grey old world. It is the rosy amber hearthstone Of earth’s flaming paradise, and A stepping stone to a better world called heaven.

End of Project Gutenberg's Rain and roses, by Jeannette Fraser Henshall