Helen Hunt Jackson

The Way to Sing

The birds must know. Who wisely sings
          Will sing as they;
The common air has generous wings.
          Songs make their way.
No messenger to run before,
          Devising plan;
No mention of the place or hour
          To any man;
No waiting till some sound betrays
          A listening ear;
No different voice, no new delays,
          If steps draw near.

What bird is that? Its song is good.
          And eager eyes
Go peering through the dusky wood,
          In glad surprise.
Then late at night, when by his fire
          The traveller sits,
Watching the flame grow brighter, higher,
          The sweet song flits
By snatches through his weary brain
          To help him rest;
When next he goes that road again,
          An empty nest
On leafless bough will make him sigh,
          Ah me! last spring
Just here I heard, in passing by,
          That rare bird sing!

But while he sighs, remembering
          How sweet the song,
The little bird on tireless wing,
          Is borne along
In other air, and other men
          With weary feet,
On other roads, the simple strain
          Are finding sweet.
The birds must know. Who wisely sings
          Will sing as they;
The common air has generous wings,
          Songs make their way.