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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BENEFACTION by EFFIE WALLER SMITH

First Line: IF THOU THE LIVES OF MEN WOULDST BLESS
Last Line: FOR HIM WHO TREADS IT AFTER THEE.
Subject(s): GRIEF; LIFE; SORROW; SADNESS;
If thou the lives of men wouldst bless,
live thine own life in faithfulness;
Thine own hard task, if made complete,
Shall render others' toil more sweet;

Thy grief, if bravely thou endure,
Shall give men's sorrow solace sure;
Thy peril, if met undismayed,
Shall make the fearful less afraid.

Each step in right paths firmly trod
Shall break some thorn or crush some clod,
Making the way more smooth and free
For him who treads it after thee.



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