J McCrae read by Classic Poetry Aloud:

http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/

Giving voice to the poetry of the past.

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Eventide

by John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

The day is past and the toilers cease;

The land grows dim 'mid the shadows grey,

And hearts are glad, for the dark brings peace

At the close of day.

Each weary toiler, with lingering pace,

As he homeward turns, with the long day done,

Looks out to the west, with the light on his face

Of the setting sun.

Yet some see not (with their sin-dimmed eyes)

The promise of rest in the fading light;

But the clouds loom dark in the angry skies

At the fall of night.

And some see only a golden sky

Where the elms their welcoming arms stretch wide

To the calling rooks, as they homeward fly

At the eventide.

It speaks of peace that comes after strife,

Of the rest He sends to the hearts He tried,

Of the calm that follows the stormiest life —

God's eventide.

First aired: 1 August 2008

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