Two Schools Poem by Henry Van Dyke

Two Schools

Rating: 3.1


I put my heart to school
In the world, where men grow wise,
'Go out,' I said, 'and learn the rule;
Come back when you win a prize.'

My heart came back again:
'Now where is the prize? ' I cried. - -
'The rule was false, and the prize was pain,
And the teacher's name was Pride.'

I put my heart to school
In the woods, where veeries sing,
And brooks run cool and clear;
In the fields, where wild flowers spring,
And the blue of heaven bends near.
'Go out,' I said: 'you are half a fool,
But perhaps they can teach you here.'

'And why do you stay so long,
My heart, and where do you roam? '
The answer came with a laugh and a song, - -
'I find this school is home.'

Two Schools
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Gangadharan Nair Pulingat 20 December 2014

A great poem and meanings are worthy. I find it the school is home.

5 3 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 07 October 2015

Not all that the schools teaches are true! Nice piece.

0 2 Reply
Gangadharan Nair Pulingat 07 October 2015

A lot of inspiration from this poem for a good learning what life is.

1 1 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 07 October 2015

Fantastic imagination. The school of nature may be really great and it teaches a lot. Thanks for sharing.

0 1 Reply
Jasbir Chatterjee 07 October 2015

This is so similar to what our very own Tagore wrote in his story'Tota Kahini. All great men think alike.

0 1 Reply
S Malakar 20 June 2019

Who was poets teachers in the second school

3 0 Reply
Rajnikant 11 March 2019

What had the poet hopped to gain from the first school

1 0 Reply
Bharati Nayak 07 October 2015

Oh! Nature is the best teacher!

3 1 Reply
Susan Williams 07 October 2015

That this poem struck a chord in the human heart is evident from the various comments. I liked that the poet didn't preach or lecture, he allowed his heart to speak and our hearts smiled and agreed.

28 2 Reply
Seema Jayaraman 07 October 2015

Life is the best open school available.. ofcourse free but takes fees in the form of painful experiences.. yet we force ourselves and our children to stay put in the confines of brick and mortar schools and learn by rote.. while the brook and the birds sing and gurgle outside! ! Set the children free, both small ones and the ones inside us..

3 1 Reply
Henry Van Dyke

Henry Van Dyke

Germantown, Pennsylvania
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