Whistling Men

by Mary Gilmore (1865-1962)

Australian writer

There came an old man down the road,

And, O, he whistled fine,

He brought a tune from out the wind –
A wind as cold as brine;
He took the pain from out the world,
And saved this heart of mine.

And down the stairway by my door,
Two days ago I heard
A whistling boy come hopping by
As if he were a bird;
I felt as though I were a leaf
A happy air had stirred.

God gave the whistling mouth to man
That he old griefs might drive
Back to the dens from which they came.
And keep his soul alive.
A whistling man makes life as sweet
As honey in a hive.

http://alldownunder.com/australian-authors/mary-gilmore/whistling-men.htm

Queensland Times (Ipswich) (Qld. : 1909 – 1954), Monday 20 June 1949,