Share this poet:
Sam Walter Foss
Sam Walter Foss
(19 June 1858 - 26 February 1911 / the United States)
Sam Walter Foss Poems
| 1. | An Informal Prayer -- The Prayer Of Cyrus Brown | 9/20/2010 |
| 2. | Business | 9/20/2010 |
| 3. | Odium Theologicum | 9/20/2010 |
| 4. | The Calf-Path | 9/20/2010 |
| 5. | The Coming Century | 9/20/2010 |
| 6. | The Coming War | 9/20/2010 |
| 7. | The House By The Side Of The Road | 9/20/2010 |
| 8. | The Ideal Husband To His Wife | 9/20/2010 |
| 9. | The Man From The Crowd | 9/20/2010 |
| 10. | The Poster-Painter's Masterpiece | 9/20/2010 |
| 11. | The Town Of Hay | 9/20/2010 |
| 12. | The True Bible | 9/20/2010 |
| 13. | The Trumpets | 9/20/2010 |
| 14. | Toil's Sweet Content | 9/20/2010 |
Comments about Sam Walter Foss
Best Poem of Sam Walter Foss
The House By The Side Of The Road
There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the place of their self-content;
There are souls like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze the paths
Where highways never ran-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by-
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner's seat
Nor hurl the cynic's ban-
Let me live in a house by the side of the ...
Do you have information on the Sam Walter Foss poem, The Volunteer Organist? I see conflicting info on the dates - and confusion due to a ballad version written by Gray and Spaulding. Do you know which came first, and in which year Foss wrote (not necessarily published) it? Do you have any othe background info, different from Wikipedia?
The House by the Side of the Road has been a favorite of mine for many years. As a lifelong observer of my fellow man, I find this poem a perfect description of what has drawn me to write stories about the foibles of humans.