Kindness by Edgar Guest

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Edgar Albert Guest (20 August 1881 – 5 August 1959) was a British-born American poet who became known as the People's Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life. He was born in Birmingham, England in 1881. In 1891, his family moved from England to Detroit, Michigan, where Guest lived until he died.

Kindness 

by Edgar Guest 

One never knows 

How far a word of kindness goes; 

One never sees 

How far a smile of friendship flees. 

Down, through the years, 

The deed forgotten reappears. 

One kindly word 

The souls of many here has stirred. 

Man goes his way 

And tells with every passing day, 

Until life's end: "Once unto me he played the friend." 

We cannot say 

What lips are praising us to-day. 

We cannot tell 

Whose prayers ask 

God to guard us well. 

But kindness lives 

Beyond the memory of him who gives.

 🌺Word Meaning🌺

1. Forgotten (verb) : things that you cannot remember 
2. Reappear (verb): appear again / to be present again 
3. Flee (verb) : leave a place to avoid something / somebody 
4. deed ( noun) : work
5. Stir (verb): move something gently 
6. Praise (verb) : to say something good about someone / something 

🌺Stanza Wise Analysis🌺

1st Stanza:

This means that we often don't realize the impact of our kind words or friendly smiles. A small act of kindness or a simple smile can have a much bigger and more positive effect than we might expect.

2nd Stanza:

This means that over time, even if the kind deed is forgotten, its impact can reappear and be felt again. A single kind word can touch and inspire many people. As time goes on, the person who received the kindness may remember and share the story, acknowledging the kindness they were shown and how it made a lasting impression on them.

3rd Stanza: 

This means that we often don't know who is speaking well of us or praying for our well-being. However, acts of kindness have a lasting impact, even beyond the memory of the person who performed them.

Short Summary of the poem:

In this poem "Kindness," tells us that the acts of kindness and friendship often have a lasting impact that we might not see or realize. Even though we might forget our own kind deeds, they can continue affecting others for years. We may never know who appreciates our kindness or who prays for our well-being, but these acts of goodness live on long after we've given them.