LESSON 32
MY MOTHER'S HANDS

1. Such beautiful, beautiful hands!

They're neither white nor small;

And you, I know, would scarcely think

That they are fair at all.

I've looked on hands whose form and hue

A sculptor's dream might be;

Yet are those aged, wrinkled hands

More beautiful to me.

2. Such beautiful, beautiful hands!

Though heart were weary and sad,

Those patient hands kept toiling on,

That the children might be glad.

I always weep, as, looking back

To childhood's distant day,

I think how those hands rested not

When mine were at their play.

3. Such beautiful, beautiful hands!

They're growing feeble now,

For time and pain have left their mark

On hands and heart and brow.

Alas! alas! the nearing time,

And the sad, sad day to me,

When 'neath the daisies, out of sight,

These hands will folded be.

4. But oh! beyond this shadow land,

Where all is bright and fair,

I know full well these dear old hands

Will palms of victory bear;

Where crystal streams through endless years

Flow over golden sands,

And where the old grow young again,

I'll clasp my mother's hands.

STUDY GUIDE

A. Word Definition

1.sculptor:artist who makes three-dimensional forms by carving,modeling etc.

2.patient:having the ability to endure delay,hardship etc.

3.feeble:weak,infirm.

4.victory:defeat of an enemy or opponent.

B. Comprehension Questions

1. What kind of work might have made the mothers' hands old and wrinkled?

2. How many children would average nineteenth century American women have had?

3. Do you think the author and his mother were wealthy? Explain.

4. What kind of hands would a sculptor dream of?

5. Label these statements true or false.

a. Daisies are vegetables. _____

b. Monkeys have hands. _____

c. Feet are used for walking. _____

6. Do you find this poem depressing? Uplifting? Explain.

7. What was the average life expectancy of a nineteenth century American woman?

8. What does the author mean by “shadow land” in the fourth verse?

C. Writing Work

Write a short paragraph about your father's /mother's hands.