Poems (Sharpless)/The Inn
THE INN
Landlord, make what cheer you may,I must be your guest to-day;From a distant clime I come,And I hasten to my home.
Ah! what journey's like to thisWhere so few our presence miss!Where no might of sage or kingOne hour's tarriance may wring?
This cosy room that now I ownShall cheer another when I've gone;The fire as brightly leap and shine,Delighting other eyes than mine.
Take this largess; give it free;I am fain that there may beSomewhere a tear or sigh the lessFor my share of happiness.
Fret not, landlord, that thy guestTastes not of the very best;In a journey such as mine,What boots it, how I sleep or dine?
Whether care, with frowning face,Take beside my chair her place,Or if gentle smiling easeBring a thousand charms to please;
So my daily stint be doneEre the setting of the sun,And my gracious Master callAs the darkening shadows fall.
And if reaching out my handAid a weaker friend to stand,Or a cheerful word I singJoy to any heart may bring,
I would do what such I may,I shall not return this way,And I would your hostelryShould be, at least, no worse for me.