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Work

By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Topics: classic

What are we set on earth for? Say, to toil;     Nor seek to leave thy tending of the vines     For all the heat o' the day, till it declines,     And Death's mild curfew shall from work assoil.     God did anoint thee with his odorous oil,     To wrestle, not to reign; and He assigns     All thy tears over, like pure crystallines,     For younger fellow-workers of the soil     To wear for amulets. So others shall     Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand     From thy hand and thy heart and thy brave cheer,     And God's grace fructify through thee to     The least flower with a brimming cup may stand,     And share its dew-drop with another near.

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"What are we set on earth for? Say, to toil;..."

"Work" is a quintessential example of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"What are we set on earth for? Say, to toil;..." by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

About Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era. Her "Sonnets from the Portuguese" are among the most famous love poems in English, and her verse novel "Aurora Leigh" addressed women's roles in society and art.

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"God, God!     With a childs voice I cry,     Weak,..."

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