A Posy of Pansies: Smiles
A Posy of Pansies: Smiles
And there is pansies, that's for thoughts.
William Shakespeare, Hamlet Prince of Denmark, Act IV, Scene V
Over the years I have gathered precious and provoking thoughts from both great authors and obscure wisemen. Please enjoy this 'posy of pansies' from the wealth of my little garden of collected thoughts. Today's thoughts are on the ministry of smiles.
Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. Jim Beggs
If you didn’t start out the day with a smile, it’s not too late to start practicing for tomorrow. Unknown
If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine. Unknown
Everyone smiles in the same language. Unknown
A smile confuses an approaching frown. Unknown
A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. Phyllis Diller
Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important. Janet Lane
You’re never fully dressed without a smile. Martin Charnin
I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. Unknown
People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. Lee Mildon
Smile - it increases your face value. Unknown
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. Mark Twain, Following the Equator
A laugh is a smile that bursts. Mary H. Waldrip
Be generous with your smiles. There is no lovelier adornment for the face. It beautifies the homeliest face and brightens the darkest corners; it lights up the whole countenance and sheds its beauty on others. Many a great poet and writer has expounded on the power held by a mere curve of the lips. L. M.
A Smile
Let others cheer the winning man,
There’s one I hold worth while;
‘Tis he who does the best he can,
Then loses with a smile.
Beaten he is, but not to stay
Down with the rank and file;
That man will win some other day,
Who loses with a smile.
Unknown
Sunshine
I was steeped in my troubles and down in the dumps.
My father had fever, my mother the mumps.
I couldn’t seem to catch a job, my savings wouldn’t pay;
I walked the streets most aimlessly, I couldn’t even pray.
Then, out of the darkness my misery had made
A light shone from a corner, a quickening ray.
It lit up the black skies, the clouds all dispersed
And the joy that I felt - not n prose or in verse -
Could I hope to explain it or tell you about it;
The was something sublime - how could I doubt it?
Another man may have words to express it in style -
I haven’t and can only say: what a smile!
S.L.
Smile
Like bread without the spreadn’
Like a puddin’ without sauce,
Like a mattress without beddin’
Like a cart without a hoss,
Like a door without a latchstring,
Like a fence without a stile,
Like a dry an’ barren creek bed -
Is the face without a smile.
Like a house without a dooryard,
Like a yard without a flower,
Like a clock without a mainspring,
That will never tell the hour;
A thing that sort o’ makes yo’ feel
A hunger all the while -
Oh, the saddest sight that ever was
Is a face without a smile!
The face of man was built for smiles,
An’ thereby he is blest
Above the critters of the field,
The birds an’ all the rest;
He’s just a little lower
Than the angels in the skies,
An’ the reason is that he can smile;
Therein his glory lies!
So smile an’ don’t forgit to smile,
An’ smile, an’ smile ag’in;
‘Twil help you all along the way,
An’ cheer you up mile by mile;
An’ so, whatever is your lot,
Jes’ smile, an’ smile, an’ smile.
Unknown
Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.
Charles Reade
The pansy has its name from the French word pensée, meaning thought. It was so named because the flower resembles a human face, and in August it nods forward as though deep in thought. "A Posy of Pansies" is a regular feature at Cabbages and Kings, and our next installment will be on architecture.
Text: A Posy of Pansies. This compilation © Handmaidens of the Shepherd, January 2008. The poem “Sunshine” © Handmaidens of the Shepherd, November 2007.
Photograph: Pansy. The copyright information for this image is unknown.
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KAYLA H. said...
I enjoyed this cute little collection!
Saturday, January 19, 2008 04:00 PM
HANDMAIDEN said...
I am glad you enjoyed it. Here is another little “pansy,” this one from Joseph Addison: “What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are trifles to be sure, but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.”
Here is yet another from Mabel Hale in her book Beautiful Girlhood: “Smiles and gladness are like sweet peas, in that the more you gather and give away, the more you have.”
Monday, January 21, 2008 11:08 AM
Friday, January 18, 2008