If I could come to you When things of life go wrong, That ready smile you give So bright like fresh-brushed drops From morning’s dew, Would make me wish to live, Would send an endless song Into my heart, stop all discord, As music soothes a weary breast. All this— if I could come to you.
Everything in "If" hangs on that small, wistful word. The speaker imagines turning to one particular person when life goes wrong, and the whole poem is a picture of what that would feel like. The comfort comes mostly from a smile, described as bright as dew drops on a morning leaf. That image is gentle and fresh, a sign of a new day arriving after a hard night.
What the speaker feels is a mix of longing and need. The line "would make me wish to live" is the quiet heart of the poem. It suggests that the speaker's low moments are serious, and that this person's presence could pull them back from the edge. The smile would start "an endless song" in the heart and calm every clash of feeling, the way music soothes a tired chest.
The mood is tender and hopeful, though tinged with sadness. The final line repeats the opening condition, and that repetition leaves us wondering whether the speaker can actually reach this person at all.