Nature

Tiny Tokens

by Frances Ridley Havergal 1836–1879

From Miscellaneous Poems

Nature

The murmur of a waterfall
A mile away,
The rustle when a robin lights
Upon a spray,
The lapping of a lowland stream
On dipping boughs,
The sound of grazing from a herd
Of gentle cows,
The echo from a wooded hill
Of cuckoo's call,
The quiver through the meadow grass
At evening fall : —
Too subtle are these harmonies
For pen and rule,
Such music is not understood
By any school :
But when the brain is overwrought,
It hath a spell,
Beyond all human skill and power,
To make it well.

The memory of a kindly word
For long gone by,
The fragrance of a fading flower
Sent lovingly,
The gleaming of a sudden smile
Or sudden tear,
The warmer pressure of the hand,
The tone of cheer,
The hush that means' I cannot speak,
But I have heard !'
The note that only bears a verse
From God's own Word : —
Such tiny things we hardly count
As ministry ;
The givers deeming they have shown
Scant sympathy :
But when the heart is everwrought,
Oh, who can tell
The power of such tiny things
To make it well !

MLA

Havergal, Frances Ridley. “Tiny Tokens.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/havergal/96/.

Chicago

Havergal, Frances Ridley. “Tiny Tokens.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/havergal/96/.

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