Edgar Albert Guest

Written July 22, 1916, when the world lost its "Poet of Childhood."

There must be great rejoicin’ on the Golden
    Shore to-day,
 An’ the big an’ little angels must be feelin’
    mighty gay:
 Could we look beyond the curtain now I fancy
    we should see
 Old Aunt Mary waitin’, smilin’, for the coming
    that’s to be,
 An’ Little Orphant Annie an’ the whole excited
    pack
 Dancin’ up an’ down an’ shoutin’: “Mr. Riley’s
    comin’ back!”
 There’s a heap o’ real sadness in this good old
    world to-day;
 There are lumpy throats this morning now that
    Riley’s gone away;
 There’s a voice now stilled forever that in
    sweetness only spoke
 An’ whispered words of courage with a faith that
    never broke.
 There is much of joy and laughter that we
    mortals here will lack,
 But the angels must be happy now that Riley’s
    comin’ back.
 The world was gettin’ dreary, there was too
    much sigh an’ frown
 In this vale o’ mortal strivin’, so God sent Jim
    Riley down,
 An’ He said: “Go there an’ cheer 'em in your
    good old-fashioned way,
 With your songs of tender sweetness, but don’t
    make your plans to stay,
 Coz you’re needed up in Heaven. I am lendin’
    you to men
 Just to help 'em with your music, but I’ll want
    you back again.”
 An’ Riley came, an’ mortals heard the music of
    his voice
 An’ they caught his songs o’ beauty an’ they
    started to rejoice;
 An’ they leaned on him in sorrow, an’ they
    shared with him their joys,
 An’ they walked with him the pathways that
    they knew when they were boys.
 But the heavenly angels missed him, missed his
    tender, gentle knack
 Of makin’ people happy, an’ they wanted Riley
    back.
 There must be great rejoicin’ on the streets of
    Heaven to-day
 An’ all the angel children must be troopin’
    down the way,
 Singin’ heavenly songs of welcome an’ preparin’
    now to greet
 The soul that God had tinctured with an
    ever-lasting sweet;
 The world is robed in sadness an’ is draped in
    sombre black;
 But joy must reign in Heaven now that Riley’s
    comin’ back.
Other works by Edgar Albert Guest...



Top