"It's Fine Today" By Douglas Malloch

 

It's Fine Today

Sure, this world is full of trouble

I ain't said it ain't.

Lord, I've had enough and double

Reason for complaint;

Rain and storm have come to fret me,

Skies are often gray;

Thorns and brambles have beset me

On the road — but say,

Ain't it fine today?

 

What's the use of always weepin',

Making trouble last?

What's the use of always keepin'

Thinkin' of the past?

Each must have his tribulation —

Water with his wine;

Life, it ain't no celebration,

Trouble? — I've had mine —

But today is fine!

 

It's today that I am livin',

Not a month ago.

Havin'; losin'; takin'; givin';

As time wills it so.

Yesterday a cloud of sorrow

Fell across the way,

It may rain again tomorrow,

It may rain — but say,

Ain't it fine today?

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/iWHmG9bfiZs

Who wrote the poem "It's Fine Today"?

Douglas Malloch (May 5, 1877 – July 2, 1938)

Douglas Malloch was an American poet, short-story writer, and associate editor of Amercian Lumberman, a trade paper in Chicago. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan, a center of the lumbering industry. He grew up in the forest, surrounded by logging camps, sawmills and lumber yards. These simple roots were reflected in his poetry, and he became famous as a “Lumberman’s poet.” Malloch also wrote the Michigan State Song.

"It’s Fine Today" explanation.

In our life, we all face various obstacles and sufferings. Some people will just panic out of fear or frustration. Others will keep complaining, blaming others. But there are a few people that will focus on the solutions to make things better, maintaining positive perspectives. This poem reminds the reader of the importance of a positive perspective when facing adversities in a simple and clear manner.

"M-O-T-H-E-R" by Howard Johnson

 

M-O-T-H-E-R

“M” is for the million things she gave me,

“O” means only that she’s growing old,

“T” is for the tears were shed to save me,

“H” is for her heart of purest gold;

“E” is for her eyes, with lovelight shining,

“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,

Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”

A word that means the world to me.

“M” is for the mercy she possesses,

“O” means that I owe her all I own,

“T” is for her tender sweet caresses,

“H” is for her hands that made a home;

“E” means ev’rything she’s done to help me,

“R” means real and regular, you see,

Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”

A word that means the world to me.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/AlARYEq1isM

Who wrote the poem "M-O-T-H-E-R"?

Howard Johnson (June 2, 1887 – May 1, 1941)

Howard Johnson was an American song lyricist, songwriter, and author. After serving in the U.S. Navy during WWI, he joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1917 and collaborated musically with many artists. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

"M-O-T-H-E-R" explanation

We all owe the infinite gratitude for our mothers’ strength, willingness to give and help, and wisdom. This short and simple song lyric reminds us of the warmth of motherly love.

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth

 

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

 

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

 

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

 

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

 

Enjoy this music with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/Z3dWTLyvAz8

Who wrote the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"?

William Wordsworth  (April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850)

William Wordsworth was an English poet who pioneered the Romantic Movement with his close friend and fellow poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He famously defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Using the ordinary language “really used by men,” he wrote beautiful poetry with sweet imagery, often based around the natural world. He suffered from depression, which was reflected in somber undertones in his poems. He was the Poet Laureate for Queen Victoria from 1843 until his death from pleurisy in 1850.

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" explanation

In the poem, the speaker is wandering down the hills and valley and finds a beautiful field of daffodils. Out of the poet’s mesmerization by the beautiful scenery, the poem explores the themes of beauty of nature, spiritual inspiration from it, and past memories.

"The Arrow And The Song" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

The Arrow And The Song

I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For, so swiftly it flew, the sight

Could not follow it in its flight.

 

I breathed a song into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For who has sight so keen and strong,

That it can follow the flight of song?

 

Long, long afterward, in an oak

I found the arrow, still unbroke;

And the song, from beginning to end,

I found again in the heart of a friend.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/s6ZxjfjTPaw

Who wrote the poem "The Arrow And The Song:?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882)

 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator. He was one of the most famous American poets of the 19th century, both domestically and internationally, and was one of the few American writers honored in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine (then still part of Massachusetts). He studied at Bowdoin College and became a professor there and later at Harvard University. His poems were known for their musicality, often including stories of mythology and legend.

"The Arrow And The Song" explanation

The poem compares an arrow shot in the air with a song breathed in the air. Both seemingly disappear quickly but leave far reaching impacts in an oak and in the heart of a friend. The arrow symbolizes hateful words whereas the song represents kind and pleasing words. In this short but artistic poem, the poet reminds the reader of the permanent impacts of our words and actions. Our words and actions will have consequences, and we have to speak and act wisely.

"See It Through" by Edgar Albert Guest

 

See It Through

When you’re up against a trouble,

Meet it squarely, face to face;

Lift your chin and set your shoulders,

Plant your feet and take a brace.

When it’s vain to try to dodge it,

Do the best that you can do;

You may fail, but you may conquer,

See it through!

 

Black may be the clouds about you

And your future may seem grim,

But don’t let your nerve desert you;

Keep yourself in fighting trim.

If the worst is bound to happen,

Spite of all that you can do,

Running from it will not save you,

See it through!

 

Even hope may seem but futile,

When with troubles you’re beset,

But remember you are facing

Just what other men have met.

You may fail, but fall still fighting;

Don’t give up, whate’er you do;

Eyes front, head high to the finish.

See it through!

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/u1HL4CapqTQ

Who wrote the poem "See It Through"?

Edgar Albert Guest (August 20, 1881 ~ August 5, 1959)

Edgar Albert Guest was a Britishborn American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century. He wrote 11,000 poems which were syndicated in 300 newspapers. He became known as the People's Poet because his poems were easy to read and had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life with such themes as family, work, children, and God.

"See It Through" explanation

In the poem, the speaker inspires the reader to confront any obstacles, never give up, and persevere. Even when facing an unavoidable failure, we should fail fighting hard, maintaining confidence and self-esteem.

 

"Only One Mother" by George Cooper

 

Only One Mother

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,

Hundreds of shells on the shore together,

Hundreds of birds that go singing by,

Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.

 

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the wide world over.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/e51F-LMwbEc

Who wrote the poem "Only One Mother"?

George Cooper (May 14, 1840 – September 26, 1927)

George Cooper was an American poet known for his song lyrics. Many of his works were set to music by Stephen Foster. He also translated the lyrics of European musical works into singable English.

"Only One Mother" explanation

Although there are so many valuable things in the world such as stars, birds, dewdrops, and butterflies, there is only one mother. This beautiful short piece reminds us of the preciousness of our mother.

"Echo" by Christina Rossetti

 

Echo

Come to me in the silence of the night;

Come in the speaking silence of a dream;

Come with soft rounded cheeks and eyes as bright

As sunlight on a stream;

Come back in tears,

O memory, hope, love of finished years.

 

O dream how sweet, too sweet, too bitter sweet,

Whose wakening should have been in Paradise,

Where souls brimfull of love abide and meet;

Where thirsting longing eyes

Watch the slow door

That opening, letting in, lets out no more.

 

Yet come to me in dreams, that I may live

My very life again though cold in death:

Come back to me in dreams, that I may give

Pulse for pulse, breath for breath:

Speak low, lean low

As long ago, my love, how long ago.

Enjoy this poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/ZakHrrDiGOk

Who wrote the poem "Remember"?

Christina Rossetti (December 5, 1830 ~ December 29, 1894)

Christina Rossetti was an English poet who was lauded as one of the foremost female poets of the 19th-century Victorian era. She wrote romantic, devotional, and children's poems, marked by symbolism and intense feeling. Her literary status was often compared to that of Elizabeth Barren Browning, and upon Browning's death in 1861, Rossetti was hailed as Browning's rightful successor. She opposed slavery, cruelty to animals, and the exploitation of girls in under-age prostitution. Rossetti suffered from Graves' disease in the later decades of her life. In 1893, she was diagnosed of breast cancer and died of a recurrence in 1894.

"Echo" Explanation

In the poem, the speaker expresses her longing for the loved one who passed away long ago. The only way for the speaker to meet the lost love is to see him in her dreams. But, those dreams are just like an echo, a remnant of the past memories. The unique atmosphere of the poem, combining somberness and loneliness, is augmented by the poet’s effective use of alliteration, euphony, and metaphor.

"A Light exists in Spring" by Emily Dickinson

 

A Light exists in Spring

A Light exists in Spring

Not present on the Year

At any other period --

When March is scarcely here

 

A Color stands abroad

On Solitary Fields

That Science cannot overtake

But Human Nature feels.

 

It waits upon the Lawn,

It shows the furthest Tree

Upon the furthest Slope you know

It almost speaks to you.

 

Then as Horizons step

Or Noons report away

Without the Formula of sound

It passes and we stay --

 

A quality of loss

Affecting our Content

As Trade had suddenly encroached

Upon a Sacrament.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/Tg0y29kEbaw

Who wrote the poem "A Light exists in Spring"?

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson 

(December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886)

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet who was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She spent most of her adult life at the family home in isolation, attending to her ill mother. Introverted and timid, she never married or sought a permanent romantic relationship all her life. Although she wrote nearly 1,800 poems during her lifetime, her poetry was largely misunderstood or underrated while she was alive. Her poems were quite original and disregarded many conventional rules, containing short lines, typically lacking titles, and often using imperfect rhyme and odd-looking syntax. Her poetry however captures universal feelings in a simple sentence with unique but resonating metaphors and reflects the poet’s lively, imaginative, and dynamic inner world. Her poetic genius began to be appreciated only after her death when her sister published her works. Now Dickinson is regarded as one of the most important American poets.

"A Light Exists in Spring" explanation

In the poem, the speaker describes a particular light that can only be seen in early Spring in a calm and serene manner. This seemingly beautiful yet simple nature poem, however, has a deeper philosophical and religious connotation about the cycle of light and dark, day and night, life and death, etc.

"To My Mother" by Edgar Allan Poe

 

To My Mother

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,

The angels, whispering to one another,

Can find, among their burning terms of love,

None so devotional as that of “Mother,”

Therefore by that dear name I long have called you—

You who are more than mother unto me,

And fill my heart of hearts, where Death installed you

In setting my Virginia's spirit free.

My mother—my own mother, who died early,

Was but the mother of myself; but you

Are mother to the one I loved so dearly,

And thus are dearer than the mother I knew

By that infinity with which my wife

Was dearer to my soul than its soul-life.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/CT0Ow4mX0rc

Who wrote the poem "To My Mother"?

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. He is best known for his poetry as a central figure of Romanticism in the US and short stories as an important contributor in such emerging genres as mystery, detective fiction, and science fiction. He was also the first well-known professional writer, unfortunately resulting in a financially difficult career. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, but his father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year. He was raised as a foster child by John and Francis Allan in Virginia. His academic excellence was marred by his bad habits, and he had to leave the University of Virginia when his foster father refused to pay his gambling debts. In 1827, Poe joined the US Army and published his first collection of poems. Later he quit his military career, changed his focus to prose, and became editors of literary journals. In 1836, he married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. After she died of tuberculosis in 1847, Poe’s depression and alcoholism got worse. Although he died in 1849 at age 40, the cause of his death is unknown and still controversial among disease, alcoholism, substance abuse, suicide, and others.

"To My Mother" explanation

The poem was published in July of 1849 right before Poe’s death. It is a devotional sonnet in which the poet expresses his feelings for his wife, Virginia and her mother. The poem begins with the speaker emphasizing the importance of the term “mother.” The speaker then says the mother of his wife is more important to him than his own biological mother, who died early. He feels so because his love for the mother of his wife comes from the infinity of the love he feels for his wife, Virginia. Through the love for Virginia’s mother, the poet expresses his infinite love for the late wife.

"Time Does Not Bring Relief" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

 

Time Does Not Bring Relief

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied

Who told me time would ease me of my pain!

I miss him in the weeping of the rain;

I want him at the shrinking of the tide;

The old snows melt from every mountain-side,

And last year’s leaves are smoke in every lane;

But last year’s bitter loving must remain

Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide.

There are a hundred places where I fear

To go,—so with his memory they brim.

And entering with relief some quiet place

Where never fell his foot or shone his face

I say, “There is no memory of him here!”

And so stand stricken, so remembering him.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/9IoZe8P8ZJ4

Who wrote the poem "Time Does Not Bring Relief"?

Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 - October 19, 1950)

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet, playwright, political activist, and feminist. Her rebellious viewpoints were reflected in both her works and her uninhibited lifestyle involving many passing relationships with both sexes. As a well known feminist of her time, she inspired a generation of American women. She became the first female to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 1923. She died from a heart attack at the age of 58 and is buried alongside her husband in Austerlitz, New York.

"Time Does Not Bring Relief" explanation

The poem tells of an emotionally hurt woman, seeking relief from heartbreak. The poem begins with the speaker complaining to the reader about their lies that time would ease her pain from the past heartbreak. Any pain she feels for her lost lover would not fade away. Rather, her longing for him is everywhere with her heart and mind obsessed with the loss, regardless of physical settings and situations.

"Only A Dad" by Edgar Albert Guest

 

Only A Dad

Only a dad, with a tired face,

Coming home from the daily race,

Bringing little of gold or fame,

To show how well he has played the game,

But glad in his heart that his own rejoice

To see him come, and to hear his voice.

 

Only a dad, with a brood of four,

One of ten million men or more.

Plodding along in the daily strife,

Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,

With never a whimper of pain or hate,

For the sake of those who at home await.

 

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,

Merely one of the surging crowd

Toiling, striving from day to day,

Facing whatever may come his way,

Silent, whenever the harsh condemn,

And bearing it all for the love of them.

 

Only a dad, but he gives his all

To smooth the way for his children small,

Doing, with courage stern and grim,

The deeds that his father did for him.

This is the line that for him I pen,

Only a dad, but the best of men.

 

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/SupyAKXIpqw

Who wrote the poem "Only A Dad"?

Edgar Albert Guest (August 20, 1881 ~ August 5, 1959)

Edgar Albert Guest was a Britishborn American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century. He wrote 11,000 poems which were syndicated in 300 newspapers. He became known as the People's Poet because his poems were easy to read and had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life with such themes as family, work, children, and God.

"Only A Dad" explanation

In the poem, the speaker talks about a father’s self-sacrifice and self-control, following his own father’s footsteps. Although he may be only a dad, one in ten millions and more, neither rich nor proud, he is the very best man in the world to his children, his wife, his family.

"Remember" by Christina Rossetti

 

Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you plann'd:

Only remember me; you understand

It will be late to counsel then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better by far you should forget and smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem video👇

https://youtu.be/caXNO2JFsCg

Who wrote the poem "Remember"?

Christina Rossetti (December 5, 1830 ~ December 29, 1894)

Christina Rossetti was an English poet who was lauded as one of the foremost female poets of the 19th-century Victorian era. She wrote romantic, devotional, and children's poems, marked by symbolism and intense feeling. Her literary statue was often compared to that of Elizabeth Barren Browning, and upon Browning's death in 1861, Rossetti was hailed as Browning's rightful successor. She opposed slavery, cruelty to animals, and the exploitation of girls in under-age prostitution. Rossetti suffered from Graves' disease in the later decades of her life. In 1893, she was diagnosed of breast cancer and died of a recurrence in 1894.

"Remember" explanation

Rossetti wrote this poem when she was 19 years old. In the poem, the speaker asks the reader (her beloved) to remember her after her death. Near the end of the poem, however, the speaker changes her mind and allows him to forget her if remembering her would make him sad. Although she is scared of being forgotten after death, she would rather her beloved be happy than maintain her memory with sorrow.