Poems of Cheer

audiobook

Poems of Cheer

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

EN·~1 hours·80 chapters

Chapters

80 total

Transcribed from the 1914 Gay and Hancock edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

0:06

POEMS OF CHEER

1:49

WORTH WHILE

0:56

THE HOUSE OF LIFE

1:33

A SONG OF LIFE

1:20

PRAYER

1:17

IN THE LONG RUN

1:08

AS YOU GO THROUGH LIFE

0:58

TWO SUNSETS

2:18

UNREST

1:26

Description

This bright collection of verse invites listeners into a world where art and imagination rise like mountains toward the divine. The opening poem follows a pilgrimage across a mystic borderland, honoring creators as “genius‑crowned aristocrats” while the speaker offers a simple song amid vivid hills, rainbows, and the music of chisels and pens. Its tone is encouraging, urging courage in the act of creation.

Later poems turn that optimism toward everyday virtues, showing how a steady smile in hardship and a disciplined heart shape a life worth living. A standout piece uses a metaphorical house with rooms named Hope, Dreams, Pleasure, Duty, and Love, guiding the listener through a symbolic tour that ends with the key finally unlocking Happiness. The verses blend moral counsel with lyrical flair, feeling like a friendly conversation rather than a sermon.

Collections

Browse all

Details

Language

en

Duration

~1 hours (94K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Release date

May 1, 2002

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

1850–1919

Best known for the unforgettable line “Laugh, and the world laughs with you,” this hugely popular American poet wrote with directness, feeling, and a gift for memorable phrasing. Her poems and essays reached a wide audience in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, blending romance, optimism, and spiritual curiosity.

View all books

You may also like

Hello, Boys!

Hello, Boys!

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Poems of Optimism

Poems of Optimism

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Poems of Sentiment

Poems of Sentiment

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Poems of Power

Poems of Power

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Poems of Experience

Poems of Experience

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Three Women

Three Women

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Maurine and Other Poems

Maurine and Other Poems

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox