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A Legacy

By John Greenleaf Whittier

Topics: classic

Friend of my many years     When the great silence falls, at last, on me,     Let me not leave, to pain and sadden thee,     A memory of tears,     But pleasant thoughts alone     Of one who was thy friendships honored guest     And drank the wine of consolation pressed     From sorrows of thy own.     I leave with thee a sense     Of hands upheld and trials rendered less     The unselfish joy which is to helpfulness     Its own great recompense;     The knowledge that from thine,     As from the garments of the Master, stole     Calmness and strength, the virtue which makes whole     And heals without a sign;     Yea more, the assurance strong     That love, which fails of perfect utterance here,     Lives on to fill the heavenly atmosphere     With its immortal song.

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"Friend of my many years..."

John Greenleaf Whittier's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "A Legacy"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:John Greenleaf Whittier

"Friend of my many years..." by John Greenleaf Whittier

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John Greenleaf Whittier

About John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892) was an American Quaker poet and abolitionist whose poems—including "Snow-Bound" and "Barbara Frietchie"—celebrate New England life and moral courage. He was one of the Fireside Poets and a leading voice against slavery.

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"Gallery of sacred pictures manifold,     A minster..."

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