Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

GOD OF THE OPEN AIR: 7 by HENRY VAN DYKE

First Line: THESE ARE THE GIFTS I ASK
Last Line: ON ALL THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE COMMON DAY.
Subject(s): RELIGION; THEOLOGY;
These are the gifts I ask
Of Thee, Spirit serene:
Strength for the daily task,
Courage to face the road,
Good cheer to help me bear the traveler's @3load,@1
And, for the hours of rest that come between,
An inward joy of all things heard and seen.

These are the sins I fain
Would have Thee take away:
Malice and cold disdain,
Hot anger, sullen hate,
Scorn of the lowly, envy of the great,
And discontent that casts a shadow gray
On all the brightness of the common day.



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