How much does happiness cost “Barter” by Sara Teasdale is about what we take for granted in our lives. We don’t realize the full beauty that Mother Nature has to offer. Teasdale is referring to the people, the reader, in her use of “you” in the poem. Her general tone of “Barter,” is one of hopefulness and peace. She talks about how beautiful the “blue waves’ are crashing on the cliff and the ‘soaring fire’ on how it moves in the night. All these things are beautiful in their own way. We just overlook the simple things in life. Teasdale poem is one that yields layers of meaning in each time one reads it. It depicts different parts each time you emphasize certain parts, and get different meanings each time. Teasdale is saying in “Barter,” you should give all your worthless possessions for the beauty or loveliness for nature. “For one white singing hour of peace / Count many a year of strife well lost.’ Means spending one hour in the beauty of nature can take away one year of anger and pain. Teasdale uses poetic devices to give deeper meaning to her words. Her rhyme scheme is ABCBDD AEFEGG HIJIKK. It is considered to be an end rhyme. “Life has liveliness to sell” has three poetic devices in one single line. The line is repeated at the beginning of the second stanza which is called a repetition, and it also contains a euphony and alliteration. A simile is used in the line, “Music like a curve of gold.” She uses personification of the fire in the line ‘…Soaring fire that sways and sings.’ These poetic devices give the poem a feeling of life. One can imagine the fire swaying and crackling as it burns. The feeling of peace and serenity is meant to persuade the reader to enjoy those little details in the fire. Teasdale also states the “…children's faces looking up.” In this line, Teasdale is talking about the innocence and purity of the young children. To them, the