Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE BURDEN, by MARIANNE FARNINGHAM HEARN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE BURDEN, by                    
First Line: To every one on earth
Last Line: Her joy and god's high praise.
Subject(s): Duty


To every one on earth
God gives a burden, to be carried down
The road that lies between the cross and crown.
No lot is wholly free:
He giveth one to thee.

Some carry it aloft,
Open and visible to any eyes;
And all may see its form and weight and size.
Some hide it in their breast,
And deem it there unguessed.

Thy burden is God's gift,
And it will make the bearer calm and strong;
Yet, lest it press too heavily and long,
He says, Cast it on Me,
And it shall easy be.

And those who heed His voice,
And seek to give it back in trustful prayer,
Have quiet hearts that never can despair;
And hope lights up the way
Upon the darkest day.

Take thou thy burden thus
Into thy hands, and lay it at His feet;
And, whether it be sorrow or defeat
Or pain or sin or care,
Just leave it calmly there.

It is the lonely road
That crushes out the life and light of Heaven;
But, born with Him, the soul, restored, forgiven,
Sings out, through all the days,
Her joy and God's high praise.





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