The Poetry Corner

At The Mill.

By Freeman Edwin Miller

The water-wheel goes 'round and 'round With heavy sighs of mournful sound, While dismal cries and weary moans Unite with sad and tearful groans, And weeping waves of water throw Afar the echoes of their sadness, And cadences of plaintive woe Dispel each little note of gladness. My daily life goes 'round and 'round, And rest for me is never found; The sobbing dirges of distress Are more than songs of happiness; The shadows of despairing doom Condemn to-day and curse to-morrow, And muffled terrors fill the gloom Which offers anguish to my sorrow. But hope, O, heart, for future weal! The waters rest beyond the wheel; So life may sing when toil is done And all its battles lost or won. There lives a sweeter music there, Of gentle and melodious measure, Where weeping never comes and where The ages perish into pleasure.