Poems by Henry Van Dyke | Poetree

All Poems Original Poems Translations

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Jeanne d'Arc

Jeanne d'Arc

The land was broken in despair,

The princes quarrelled in the dark,

When clear and tranquil, through the troubled air

Of selfish minds and wills that did not dare,

Your star arose, Jeanne d'Arc.

O virgin breast with lilies white,

O sun-burned hand that bore the lance,

You taught the prayer that helps men to unite,

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by Henry Van Dyke

Doors of Daring

Doors of Daring

The mountains that enfold the vale

With walls of granite, steep and high,

Invite the fearless foot to scale

Their stairway toward the sky.

The restless, deep, dividing sea

That flows and foams from shore to shore,

Calls to its sunburned chivalry,

"Push out, set sail, explore!"

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by Henry Van Dyke

A Lover's Envy

A Lover's Envy

I envy every flower that blows

Along the meadow where she goes,

And every bird that sings to her,

And every breeze that brings to her

The fragrance of the rose.

I envy every poet's rhyme

That moves her heart at eventime,

And every tree that wears for her

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by Henry Van Dyke

Departure

Departure

Oh, why are you shining so bright, big Sun,

And why is the garden so gay?

Do you know that my days of delight are done,

Do you know I am going away?

If you covered your face with a cloud, I 'd dream

You were sorry for me in my pain,

And the heads of the flowers all bowed would seem

To be weeping with me in the rain.

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by Henry Van Dyke

Time Is

Time Is

Time is

Too Slow for those who Wait,

Too Swift for those who Fear,

Too Long for those who Grieve,

Too Short for those who Rejoice;

But for those who Love,

Time is not.

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by Henry Van Dyke

One World

One World

"The worlds in which we live are two

The world 'I am' and the world 'I do.'"

The worlds in which we live at heart are one,

The world "I am," the fruit of "I have done";

And underneath these worlds of flower and fruit,

The world "I love,"—the only living root.

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by Henry Van Dyke

A Mile With Me

A Mile With Me

O who will walk a mile with me

Along life's merry way?

A comrade blithe and full of glee,

Who dares to laugh out loud and free,

And let his frolic fancy play,

Like a happy child, through the flowers gay

That fill the field and fringe the way

Where he walks a mile with me.

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by Henry Van Dyke

Four Things

Four Things

Four things a man must learn to do

If he would make his record true:

To think without confusion clearly;

To love his fellow man sincerely;

To act from honest motives purely;

To trust in God and Heaven securely.

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by Henry Van Dyke

Indian Summer

Indian Summer

A soft veil dims the tender skies,

And half conceals from pensive eyes

The bronzing tokens of the fall;

A calmness broods upon the hills,

And summer's parting dream distills

A charm of silence over all.

The stacks of corn, in brown array,

Stand waiting through the placid day,

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by Henry Van Dyke

A Prayer for a Mother's Birthday

A Prayer for a Mother's Birthday

Lord Jesus, Thou hast known

A mother's love and tender care:

And Thou wilt hear, while for my own

Mother most dear I make this birthday prayer.

Protect her life, I pray,

Who gave the gift of life to me;

And may she know, from day to day,

The deepening glow of Life that comes from Thee.

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by Henry Van Dyke

God of the Open Air

God of the Open Air

. I

Thou who hast made thy dwelling fair

With flowers beneath, above with starry lights,

And set thine altars everywhere,—

On mountain heights,

In woodlands dim with many a dream,

In valleys bright with springs,

And on the curving capes of every stream:

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by Henry Van Dyke

The Message

The Message

Waking from tender sleep,

My neighbour's little child

Put out his baby hand to me,

Looked in my face, and smiled.

It seemed as if he came

Home from a happy land,

To tell me something that my heart

Would surely understand.

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by Henry Van Dyke