“How Beautiful” by George Elliston
October 5, 2018
This poem is the original source of the popular quotation “How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it.” Ms. Elliston was an exceptional investigative reporter in Ohio. She was also a poet on the side, so passionate about the craft that she bequeathed much of her estate to the University of Cincinnati to encourage and promote the study and composition of poetry.
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—George Elliston (1883–1946), “How Beautiful,” Cinderella Cargoes: Poems for Poets and for Those Who Love Poetry, 1929
Image Sources:
How beautiful a day can be
When kindness touches it!
As suddenly illumined as
A room that's newly lit.
In busy hours how grateful is A little word of cheer, So close it brings its tenderness, Its sympathy so near.
The weariness of heavy tasks Is lost upon a day When kind words bring their comfort, joy, To any busy way.
In busy hours how grateful is A little word of cheer, So close it brings its tenderness, Its sympathy so near.
The weariness of heavy tasks Is lost upon a day When kind words bring their comfort, joy, To any busy way.
—George Elliston (1883–1946), “How Beautiful,” Cinderella Cargoes: Poems for Poets and for Those Who Love Poetry, 1929
- Elliston photo: The Birmingham News—Age-Herald, 1935, modified by Terri Guillemets
- Book cover: Cinderella Cargoes, George Sully & Co., 1929
- Signature: author inscription, Cinderella Cargoes, undated