At the Bars of Memory and Other Poems/Contentment

by Andrew Francis Lockhart

CONTENTMENT

A touch of rose and a glint of gold;
A crystal star in the sea of pearl;
What matters it if the world grows cold
When the folds of night unfurl?

A friend or two for the living day;
And love for the worldly things worth while;
What matters it if the skies grow gray?
There is no chill in a soul-born smile!

An hour for joy; a moment for tears;
And golden beams to breast the gloom;
What matters it if the surging years
Are beating against an eternal tomb?

For life is real, and so much joy
Pervades each hour of the living day,
That sorrow is only the mild alloy
Which strengthens the fabric of mortal clay!