Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful World,
With the wonderful water round you curled,
And the wonderful grass upon your breast-
World, you are beautifully dressed
The wonderful air is over me,
And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree,
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
You friendly Earth! how far do you go,
With the wheat-fields that nod and the rivers that flow,
With cities and gardens, and cliffs, and isles,
And people upon you for thousands of miles?
Ah, you are so great, and I am so small,
I tremble to think of you, World, at all;
And yet, when I said my prayers to-day,
A whisper inside me seemed to say,
"You are more than the Earth, though you are such a dot:
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!"
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Comments
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From guest S. King (contact)
my father used to recite this poem, and many others, to my sister and I on long trips in the car. When he died, it seemed to be appropriate to recite it for him, so this holds many bitter sweet memories. -
Great, Wide, Beautiful, Wonderful World
From guest Frances (contact)
Thank you for sharing this poem withus. I committed it to memory in 1955 in 7th grade and have always lovedit. -
Great, Wide, Beautiful, Wonderful World
From guest Mary (contact)
Thank You For Sharing This Great Poem With Us! My gratitude to my 8th Grade Teacher as I also learned this poem in Grade School, and to this day can still recite it. Whenever I am outdoors and nature inspires me, I start reciting it. It truly expresses my feelings when I see God's beautiful world -
From guest Marg (contact)
My mother, born 1913, learned this poem when she was a little girl in school. She recited it on her 85th birthday. After she slipped into dementia, this one poem she contined to say. I now recite it publicly when I can, in honor of her memory, and I plan to pass it on to my grandchildren. -
My Grandmother Emily Gertrude Walmsley who was born in 1908 taught me this poem whem i was a very small child of 5. years later after her death i recited the poem at an annual school concert. i would have been 13 at this time. i forgot of its existance until my own daughter began to take an interest in poetry. she at my request found this poem. what memories of my Grandmother it evokes.
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I learnt this poem by heart when I was 10 years old. I am now 56 and can still recite it!! I am as fascinated by it now as then.
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i learned this poem when i was in gradeschool; i'm 47 now, and teaching 'grade school.' i remembered clearly about 1/2 of it, and have struggled for years with its remembrance. it just occured to me to 'google' it for completeness, and i am THRILLED to have it all in view again. an old friend returns!!!!
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9/10
No errors do I see. I like the rhyme in this piece especially in this part:
It walks on the water, and whirls the mills,
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills.
A great piece written.
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