By Thomas Carlyle

The wind blows east, the wind blows west,

And the frost falls and the rain:

A weary heart went thankful to rest,

And must rise to toil again, ’gain,

And must rise to toil again.

The wind blows east, the wind blows west,

And there comes good luck and bad;

The thriftiest man is the cheerfulest;

’Tis a thriftless thing to be sad, sad,

’Tis a thriftless thing to be sad.

The wind blows east, the wind blows west;

Ye shall know a tree by its fruit:

This world, they say, is worst to the best;—

But a dastard has evil to boot, boot,

But a dastard has evil to boot.

The wind blows east, the wind blows west;

What skills it to mourn or to talk?

A journey I have, and far ere I rest;

I must bundle my wallets and walk, walk,

I must bundle my wallets and walk.

The wind does blow as it lists alway;

Canst thou change this world to thy mind?

The world will wander its own wise way;

I also will wander mine, mine,

I also will wander mine.

• Nature

Poet Bio

Historian, essayist, and sage, Thomas Carlyle was one of most influential writers of Victorian England. He was born in a small village in Scotland, and was educated in Edinburgh, studying the classics and German. After leaving university, he started to write magazine articles, many on modern German literature. He then started to write longer pieces, including Sartor Resartus, his commentary on life, a history of the French Revolution, and many studies of heroes and strong leaders. Though often accused, rightly, of being undemocratic, Carlyle’s writing attempts to invigorate the human soul and elevate the spirit.

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