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Poem
February 24, 1826
The Intelligencer, & Petersburg Commercial Advertiser
Petersburg, Virginia
What is this article about?
A lyrical poem extolling the simple joys of home and family life by the fireside, contrasting it with the superficial pleasures of fashionable society, emphasizing peace, love, and refuge from worldly storms.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
MY OWN FIRE-SIDE.
Let others seek for empty joys,
At ball, or concert, rout or play;
Whilst far from Fashion's idle noise,
Her gilded domes and trappings gay,
I whiles the wintry eve away—
'Twixt book and lute the hours divide,
And marvel how I e'er could stray
From thee—my own Fire-side!
My own Fire-side! Those simple words
Can bid the sweetest dreams arise;
Awaken feeling's tenderest chords,
And fill with tears of joy mine eyes!
What is there my wild heart can prize
That doth not in thy sphere abide,
Haunt or my home-bred sympathies,
My own—my own Fire-side!
A gentle form is near me now:
A small white hand is clasped in mine;
I gaze upon her placid brow,
And ask what joys can equal thine!
Babe, whose beauty's half divine,
In sleep his mother's eyes doth hide:
Where may Love seek a fitter shrine,
Than thou—my own Fire-side!
What care I for the sullen roar
Of winds without, that ravage earth;
It doth but bid me prize the more
The shelter of thy hallowed hearth;
To thoughts of quiet bliss give birth;
Then let the churlish tempest chide—
It cannot check the harmless mirth,
That glads—my own Fire-side!
My refuge ever from the storm
Of this world's passion, strife, and care;
Though thunder-clouds the sky deform,
Their fury cannot reach me there.
There, all is cheerful, calm and fair—
Wrath, Malice, Envy, Strife, or Pride,
Have never made their hated lair
By thee—my own Fire-side!
Thy precincts are a charmed ring:
Where no harsh feeling dares intrude;
Where life's vexations lose their sting;
Where even grief is half subdued;
And Peace, the halcyon, loves to brood.
Then, let the pamper'd fool deride;
I'll pay my debt of gratitude
To thee—my own Fire-side!
Shrine of my household deities!
Fair scene of home's unsullied joys!
To thee my burthened spirit flees,
When fortune frowns, or care annoys:
Thine is the bliss that never cloys;
The smile whose truth hath oft been tried;
What, then, are this world's tinsel toys
To thee—my own Fire-side!
Oh, may the yearnings, soft and sweet,
That bid my thoughts be all of thee,
Thus ever guide my wandering feet
To thy heart-soothing sanctuary!
Whate'er my future years may be,
Let joy or grief my fate betide;
Be still an Eden bright to me,
My own—my own FIRE-SIDE!
Let others seek for empty joys,
At ball, or concert, rout or play;
Whilst far from Fashion's idle noise,
Her gilded domes and trappings gay,
I whiles the wintry eve away—
'Twixt book and lute the hours divide,
And marvel how I e'er could stray
From thee—my own Fire-side!
My own Fire-side! Those simple words
Can bid the sweetest dreams arise;
Awaken feeling's tenderest chords,
And fill with tears of joy mine eyes!
What is there my wild heart can prize
That doth not in thy sphere abide,
Haunt or my home-bred sympathies,
My own—my own Fire-side!
A gentle form is near me now:
A small white hand is clasped in mine;
I gaze upon her placid brow,
And ask what joys can equal thine!
Babe, whose beauty's half divine,
In sleep his mother's eyes doth hide:
Where may Love seek a fitter shrine,
Than thou—my own Fire-side!
What care I for the sullen roar
Of winds without, that ravage earth;
It doth but bid me prize the more
The shelter of thy hallowed hearth;
To thoughts of quiet bliss give birth;
Then let the churlish tempest chide—
It cannot check the harmless mirth,
That glads—my own Fire-side!
My refuge ever from the storm
Of this world's passion, strife, and care;
Though thunder-clouds the sky deform,
Their fury cannot reach me there.
There, all is cheerful, calm and fair—
Wrath, Malice, Envy, Strife, or Pride,
Have never made their hated lair
By thee—my own Fire-side!
Thy precincts are a charmed ring:
Where no harsh feeling dares intrude;
Where life's vexations lose their sting;
Where even grief is half subdued;
And Peace, the halcyon, loves to brood.
Then, let the pamper'd fool deride;
I'll pay my debt of gratitude
To thee—my own Fire-side!
Shrine of my household deities!
Fair scene of home's unsullied joys!
To thee my burthened spirit flees,
When fortune frowns, or care annoys:
Thine is the bliss that never cloys;
The smile whose truth hath oft been tried;
What, then, are this world's tinsel toys
To thee—my own Fire-side!
Oh, may the yearnings, soft and sweet,
That bid my thoughts be all of thee,
Thus ever guide my wandering feet
To thy heart-soothing sanctuary!
Whate'er my future years may be,
Let joy or grief my fate betide;
Be still an Eden bright to me,
My own—my own FIRE-SIDE!
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
Fireside
Home
Family
Domestic Bliss
Fashion Critique
Winter Eve
Peace Refuge
Poem Details
Title
My Own Fire Side.
Form / Style
Rhymed Stanzas In Iambic Tetrameter
Key Lines
My Own Fire Side! Those Simple Words
Can Bid The Sweetest Dreams Arise;
A Gentle Form Is Near Me Now:
A Small White Hand Is Clasped In Mine;
What Care I For The Sullen Roar
Of Winds Without, That Ravage Earth;
Shrine Of My Household Deities!
Fair Scene Of Home's Unsullied Joys!
Be Still An Eden Bright To Me,
My Own—My Own Fire Side!