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Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox   
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Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850 - 1919)
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Born on November 5, 1850, in Johnstown Center, Rock county, Wisconsin, Ella Wheeler from an early age was an avid reader of popular literature, especi .. more >>
270 poems of Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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Solitude

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9.8 /10
(103 votes)



  Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox


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Read poems about / on: sad, alone, solitude, lost, world, pain, friend

 
  Comments about this poem (Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox )
Click here to write your comments about this poem (Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox )
 
  Wong Wapan  (3/11/2009 9:26:00 AM)

exactly what i feel

i feel that people around me can share my happiness but they cant share my sadness

kind of solitude..
  Natalie Walker  (4/19/2008 2:45:00 PM)

I learned this poem in the 80's and have not been able to 'forget' it. It says so much, and has inspired me to write a lot myself then, and now.
  Jw Cy  (7/13/2007 3:46:00 AM)

I bumped into this poem and i loved it since. it keeps me company when i'm feeling out there, alone, the title of the poem says it all.
  Mary Gordley  (3/12/2007 12:43:00 PM)

Rest in peace Richard Jeni
  Jazzy D.  (2/2/2007 2:14:00 PM)

This poem is so deep and so real...'They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.' I don't think I could've put it better myself.
  John Tiong Chunghoo  (10/6/2006 8:20:00 AM)

i will always remember these lines;

laugh and the world laughs with you
weep and you weep alone
  J. Hays  (7/18/2005 1:13:00 AM)

Amazing, and shocking, how true this is. Not too long ago I went through some hard times and slipped into depression. I kept it hidden for months, hoping it would pass. Finally, it became too bad to hide, and so I sought the help of my best, closest friends. These people I'd known for years, or thought I'd known, immediately stopped talking to me and worked hard to avoid me. It was only by rebuilding the pretense that all-was-well that they even grudgingly accepted me, but I had to find help somewhere else.
When times are tough, you find out who your real friends are.
  Lori Smith  (6/10/2005 7:47:00 PM)

This is so true. In recent pain, I had but a few who were really there for me. I can relate.

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