[Ads-l] Poem Origin: It was only a sunny smile / And little it cost in the giving

[Laurence Horn]

I suspect 1896 was F. Scott Fitzgerald's birth rather than death year,
although in the light of his Benjamin Button perhaps it might have somehow
been both.

LH

On Tue, May 30, 2023 at 1:12 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Two individuals asked me to trace an expression implausibly attributed
> to F. Scott Fitzgerald:
>
> It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like
> morning light, it scattered the night and made the day worth living.
>
> Here are links to my analysis:
> Full: https://quoteinvestigator.medium.com/51441fb20d67
> Abbrev: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2023/05/28/sunny-smile/
>
> Fitzgerald died in 1896, and I found a match for the expression in
> March 1893 within an anonymous poem titled "Only" published in "The
> Western Teacher: A Monthly Journal for Progressive Teachers" of
> Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Here is the first verse:
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> It was only a sunny smile,
> And little it cost in the giving;
> But it scattered the night
> Like morning light,
> And made the day worth living.
> Through life’s dull warp a woof it wove
> In shining colors of hope and love;
> And the angels smiled as they watched above.
> Yet little it cost in the giving.
> [End excerpt]
>
> This poem has appeared in many publications, but I have been unable to
> identify the author.
>
> A poem communicating a similar idea about the uplifting nature of a
> smile appeared in "The Capital" newspaper of Washington D.C. in 1871.
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Only a tender smile, but it may part
> And rift the clouds around a breaking heart,
> Inspire with hope, lessen the stinging smart
> Of false friends scorning.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Feedback and earlier citations would be welcome
> Garson O’Toole
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org