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Edgar Guest - The Workman`s Dream
Work rating: Low

To-day it`s dirt and dust and steam,
To-morrow it will be the same,
And through it all the soul must dream
And try to play a manly game;
Dirt, dust and steam and harsh commands,
Yet many a soft hand passes by
And only thinks he understands
The purpose of my task and why.
I`ve seen men shudder just to see
Me standing at this lathe of mine,
And knew somehow they pitied me,
But I have never made a whine;
For out of all this dirt and dust
And clang and clamor day by day,
Beyond toil`s everlasting "must,"
I see my little ones at play.
The hissing steam would drive me mad
If hissing steam was all I heard;
But there`s a boy who calls me dad
Who daily keeps my courage spurred;
And there`s a little girl who waits
Each night for all that I may bring,
And I`m the guardian of their fates,
Which makes this job a wholesome thing.
Beyond the dust and dirt and steam
I see a college where he`ll go;
And when I shall fulfill my dream,
More than his father he will know;
And she shall be a woman fair,
Fit for the world to love and trust—
I`ll give my land a glorious pair
Out of this place of dirt and dust.
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