Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE IDEAL CITY, by WASHINGTON GLADDEN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE IDEAL CITY, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: O you whom god hath called and set apart
Last Line: To serve.
Subject(s): Cities; Worship; Urban Life


O you whom God hath called and set apart
To build a city after His own heart,
Be this your task—to fill the city's veins
With the red blood of friendship; plant her plains
With seeds of peace: above her portals wreathe
Greeting and welcome: let the air we breathe
Be musical with accents of good will
That leap from lip to lip with joyous thrill;
So may the stranger find upon the streets
A kindly look in every face he meets;
So may the spirit of the city tell
All her souls within her gates that all is well;
In all her homes let gentleness be found,
In every neighborhood let grace abound,
In every store and shop and forge and mill
Where men of toil their daily tasks fulfill,
Where guiding brain and workmen's skill are wise
To shape the product of our industries,
Where treasured stores the hands of toil sustain,
Let friendship speed the work and share the gain,
And thus, through all the city's teeming life,
Let helpfulness have room with generous strife
To serve.





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