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THE DEACON'S PRAYER, by SAMUEL VALENTINE COLE First Line: The hymn had slowly died away Last Line: "as by one impulse, cried, ""amen!" Subject(s): God; Prayer; Religion; Theology | ||||||||
THE hymn had slowly died away; Then came the pause, and, while delayed The brethren to exhort or pray, The oldest deacon rose and prayed: "O Lord, thine erring ones we are; Perhaps we do not understand; And yet we feel that, near and far, There's need of danger in the land. "Some things are safe that should not be; Mob-murder, bribery, the desire Of them, O Lord, who fear not Thee, To take away our food and fire. Because of safety overmuch, The wolves of commerce prowl and seize; Thy truth is dangerous unto such; Thy right, thy justice, send us these. "And, Lordwe hesitate in this, So oft we err in speech and plan We askforgive us if amiss We ask Thee for some dangerous man. Was not thy servant, Lincoln, one Him whom they hated so and slew? Recall thy servant, Washington; Thine enemies found him dangerous, too. "And we remember One, dear Lord, Who walked the ways of Galilee; He brought and left on earth a sword None lives so dangerous as he! And, oh, we dare not pray this night For peace with sin, lest everywhere That sword of justice, truth, and right Lay on our path its awful glare! "Beat back the hosts of lawless might; Quench this accursed thirst for gold; And with the love of heaven smite The hearts that now seem hard and cold. Vouchsafe to us the power again To turn 'I ought' into 'I can,' 'I can' into 'I will,' and then Grant us, O Lord, some dangerous man. "Not one who merely sits and thinks, Looks Buddha-wise, with folded hands; Who balances, and blinks, and shrinks, And questionswhile we wait commands! Who dreams, perchance, that right and wrong Will make their quarrel up some day, And discord be the same as song Lord, not so safe a one, we pray! "Nor one who never makes mistakes Because he makes not anything; But one who fares ahead and breaks The path for truth's great following; Who takes the way that brave men go Forever up stern duty's hill; Who answers 'Yes,' or thunders 'No,' According to thy holy will. "We want a man whom we can trust To lead us where thy purpose leads; Who dares not lie, but dares be just Give us the dangerous man of deeds!" So prayed the deacon, letting fall Each sentence from his heart; and when He took his seat the brethren all, As by one impulse, cried, "Amen!" | Other Poems of Interest...THE FUTURE OF TERROR / 5 by MATTHEA HARVEY MYSTIC BOUNCE by TERRANCE HAYES MATHEMATICS CONSIDERED AS A VICE by ANTHONY HECHT UNHOLY SONNET 11 by MARK JARMAN SHINE, PERISHING REPUBLIC by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE COMING OF THE PLAGUE by WELDON KEES A LITHUANIAN ELEGY by ROBERT KELLY |
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