The poem explores the idea that despite life's hardships and difficulties, there are moments of beauty and joy to be cherished. It compares life to a dark and wild night, a dry and drear desert, and a cold and fierce sea, but notes that even in these harsh environments, there can be stars, oases, and enchanted isles. The poem urges the reader to forget the hardships and instead focus on the "gift supreme" of life's brief moments of beauty, and to make the most of them to create a "deathless dream".
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1906 · Genre: Fantasy, Children's Literature, Adventure