I God the Creator, with a pulseless hand Of unoriginated power, hath weighed The dust of earth and tears of man in one Measure, and by one weight: So saith his holy book. II Shall we, then, who have issued from the dust And there return, -- shall we, who toil for dust, And wrap our winnings in this dusty life, Say 'No more tears, Lord God! The measure runneth o'er'? III Oh, Holder of the balance, laughest Thou? Nay, Lord! be gentler to our foolishness, For his sake who assumed our dust and turns On Thee pathetic eyes Still moistened with our tears. IV And teach us, O our Father, while we weep, To look in patience upon earth and learn -- Waiting, in that meek gesture, till it last These tearful eyes be filled With the dry dust of death. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SOMEBODY LOVED ME by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON DOMESDAY BOOK: JANE FISHER by EDGAR LEE MASTERS UNDER HOUSE ARREST IN WINDSOR by HENRY HOWARD MY BED IS A BOAT by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON AN INVITATION TO A DRINKFEST by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS A SONG OF LABOUR; DEDICATED TO MY FELLOW-WORKERS WITH PICK AND SHOVEL by ALEXANDER ANDERSON |