The Mind
Against Despair
From Hymns for the Amusement of Children (1771)
The MindReligion
A raven once an Acorn took
From Bashan's tallest stoutest tree;
He hid it by a limpid brook,
And liv'd another oak to see.
Thus Melancholy buries Hope,
Which Providence keeps still alive,
And bids us with afflictions cope,
And all anxiety survive.
✦ ✦ ✦
Codex Note
A hymn of two stanzas: a raven hides an acorn and lives to see the oak, as Providence keeps hope alive in the melancholy.
Cite this poem
MLA
Smart, Christopher. “Against Despair.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/smart/2/.
Chicago
Smart, Christopher. “Against Despair.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/smart/2/.
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