National Poetry Month: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As spring so often brings a little rain into our lives, I thought I'd share my favorite rain poem with you. In particular the last line is something I often repeat to myself.

The Rainy Day

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
  And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
  And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;  

Thy fate is the common fate of all, 

Into each life some rain must fall, 

Some days must be dark and dreary. 

(image by Marinshe)

Two children-specific, well-known 

Longfellow poems-turned-picturebooks are: 

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

illustrated by Jeffrey Thompson

9780792265580, $7.95, 

National Geographic Society (Random House)

and 

Hiawatha

illustrated by Susan Jeffers

9780140558821, $7.99, Penguin