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Rate this poem:4.3 / 52 votes

George Eliot 1819 (Nuneaton, Warwickshire) – 1880 (Chelsea, London)

If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went --
Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,
You've cheered no heart, by yea or nay --
If, through it all
You've nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face--
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost --
Then count that day as worse than lost.

About this poem

"Count That Day Lost" is a poem written by George Eliot (pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans). The poem is a reflection on the nature of success and failure, and encourages the reader to adopt a positive attitude towards life. It consists of two stanzas, each with four lines. The poem begins with the line "If you sit down at set of sun, and count the acts that you have done," suggesting that the reader should take stock of their accomplishments at the end of each day. The poem goes on to argue that even if the day has been filled with failure and disappointment, it is not truly lost if one has learned something from the experience. The poem is a powerful reminder to always strive to do one's best, and to view setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning. 

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Modified by acronimous on March 14, 2023

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George Eliot

Mary Anne Evans, better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. more…

All George Eliot poems | George Eliot Books

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Discuss the poem "Count That Day Lost" with the community...

14 Comments
  • karlcfolkes
    Quite an interesting and well written two-stanza poem. Imagine it. If the position of the two stanzas were reversed, with the contrastive word ‘but’ now introducing the first stanza as the newly formed second stanza, the poem would end in an even more positive note. 
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • vandhana_k
    Hiya.
    LikeReply 24 months ago
  • yomihabib
    Beautiful!Tragic and the power of loss!
    LikeReply 15 months ago
  • dougb.19255
    I love how team commenting and exchange have been encouraged here. Just what a Forum should do. And I mean sentences, thought given and received. Forgot those dumb and pointless emojees etc. Doug Blair
    LikeReply 15 months ago
  • jerrywlawrence2666
    A Heckuva Poem. It Touched Upon Religious Issues 2 Reflect On Perfectly.
    LikeReply 16 months ago
  • kimba75
    This poem helps the reader to see the importance of every day of our life. How we can be positive or negative. Accomplish something or nothing. It's up to us.
    LikeReply 16 months ago
  • dougb.19255
    One of my favourite novels is short. Silas Marner. Love in a little girl overwhelms greed, suspicion, loneliness
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • luisestable1
    This poem is about attitude towards life. You can look at it with a frown or with a smile. Happiness works from the inside out and depends on how we see things or the world.
    Great Poem!
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • luisestable1
    This poem tries to emphasize that nothing in life is wasted. Even bad experiences are opportunities for growth or learning, so no day is lost.
    A great poem this is and much could be say about it.
    LikeReply7 months ago
  • dougb.19255
    I an thinking about reading other works by her. She spoke from the heart. Rattling social convention. Scandal. Showing both the good and bad in us all. Diagnostician of human experience and trials and victoties. I have a DVD series on Middlemarch (BBC). A beginning. 
    LikeReply 17 months ago
    • Soulwriter
      she's fantastic isn't she
      LikeReply7 months ago
  • dougb.19255
    One of my favourite novels is the short book Silas Marner by George Eliot. A spunky woman taking a male pen name for greater acceptance at the time. Religion, both the real and the feigned. Social norms questioned. Dark places and lives redeemed. Avarice replaced by sweet, honest love for a little girl. Community coming to help in her upbringing in the cottage of Silas. Most happy ending. 
    LikeReply 27 months ago
    • Soulwriter
      I am 100% with you! I think Daniel Deronda is great too. But the new generation can't seem to relate to her. :(
      LikeReply7 months ago
  • carloss.69843
    sometimes an acknowledgment can speak a thousand words especially what we observe before and around us brightening or diming our expectations
    LikeReply 111 months ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Are we our brother's keeper ? More than that, we should love our enemies, anyone can love their friends ! But to go beyond that is sacrificial love !
    The world will never learn, look at Ukraine !
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • esdras_a
    I greatly enjoyed this poem. If one tries to understand the poem, it is truly a magnificent lesson. It was very well written, and the way the theme is conveyed is in a way easily understood.
    LikeReply 11 year ago

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"Poetry.com" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 9 Dec. 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/>.

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