{"id":77,"date":"2021-03-30T15:48:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T19:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/flintandfeather\/?post_type=chapter&p=77"},"modified":"2022-02-04T09:08:03","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T14:08:03","slug":"workworn","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/chapter\/workworn\/","title":{"raw":"Workworn","rendered":"Workworn"},"content":{"raw":"Across the street, an humble woman lives;\r\nTo her \u2019tis little fortune ever gives;\r\nDenied the wines of life, it puzzles me\r\nTo know how she can laugh so cheerily.\r\nThis morn I listened to her softly sing,\r\nAnd, marvelling what this effect could bring\r\nI looked: \u2019twas but the presence of a child\r\nWho passed her gate, and looking in, had smiled.\r\nBut self-encrusted, I had failed to see\r\nThe child had also looked and laughed to me.\r\nMy lowly neighbour thought the smile God-sent,\r\nAnd singing, through the toilsome hours she went.\r\nO! weary singer, I have learned the wrong\r\nOf taking gifts, and giving naught of song;\r\nI thought my blessings scant, my mercies few,\r\nTill I contrasted them with yours, and you;\r\nTo-day I counted much, yet wished it more\u2014\r\nWhile but a child\u2019s bright smile was all your store,\r\n\r\nIf I had thought of all the stormy days,\r\nThat fill some lives that tread less favoured ways,\r\nHow little sunshine through their shadows gleamed,\r\nMy own dull life had much the brighter seemed;\r\nIf I had thought of all the eyes that weep\r\nThrough desolation, and still smiling keep,\r\nThat see so little pleasure, so much woe,\r\nMy own had laughed more often long ago;\r\nIf I had thought how leaden was the weight\r\nAdversity lays at my kinsman\u2019s gate,\r\nOf that great cross my next door neighbour bears,\r\nMy thanks had been more frequent in my prayers;\r\nIf I had watched the woman o\u2019er the way,\r\nWorkworn and old, who labours day by day,\r\nWho has no rest, no joy to call her own,\r\nMy tasks, my heart, had much the lighter grown.","rendered":"

Across the street, an humble woman lives;
\nTo her \u2019tis little fortune ever gives;
\nDenied the wines of life, it puzzles me
\nTo know how she can laugh so cheerily.
\nThis morn I listened to her softly sing,
\nAnd, marvelling what this effect could bring
\nI looked: \u2019twas but the presence of a child
\nWho passed her gate, and looking in, had smiled.
\nBut self-encrusted, I had failed to see
\nThe child had also looked and laughed to me.
\nMy lowly neighbour thought the smile God-sent,
\nAnd singing, through the toilsome hours she went.
\nO! weary singer, I have learned the wrong
\nOf taking gifts, and giving naught of song;
\nI thought my blessings scant, my mercies few,
\nTill I contrasted them with yours, and you;
\nTo-day I counted much, yet wished it more\u2014
\nWhile but a child\u2019s bright smile was all your store,<\/p>\n

If I had thought of all the stormy days,
\nThat fill some lives that tread less favoured ways,
\nHow little sunshine through their shadows gleamed,
\nMy own dull life had much the brighter seemed;
\nIf I had thought of all the eyes that weep
\nThrough desolation, and still smiling keep,
\nThat see so little pleasure, so much woe,
\nMy own had laughed more often long ago;
\nIf I had thought how leaden was the weight
\nAdversity lays at my kinsman\u2019s gate,
\nOf that great cross my next door neighbour bears,
\nMy thanks had been more frequent in my prayers;
\nIf I had watched the woman o\u2019er the way,
\nWorkworn and old, who labours day by day,
\nWho has no rest, no joy to call her own,
\nMy tasks, my heart, had much the lighter grown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":12,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-77","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77\/revisions\/78"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/77\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=77"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}