We offer here no craven prayer To tribal God or king, To save us by some miracle From our own blundering; But Thou, O God, the God of law, Who faithful art and kind, Send Thou Thy light to lift from us This darkness of the mind. Forbid that we should make of Thee, A Lord of petty state, And boasting to Thy altar come With offerings of hate; We charge not to Thy holy will The wars that waste earth's good, We own our sin, O God, we own Our want of brotherhood. Nor with the faith of slaves we bow, To what dark fate hath willed; We are Thy sons, O God of Love, And we our future build. Then save us Lord, Thou God of Truth, From lies that make us thrall, From vain imaginings and fears, O save us, Lord of all. And whip our laggard wills, O God; Sting us to discontent, Until in simple trust we meet Thy great requirement. O God, Who breathest through this clay, Who speakest through our prayer, Give us the mind, the heart, the will, To doubt, to trust, to dare! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SEVEN TWILIGHTS: 7 by CONRAD AIKEN CONCERNING NECESSITY by HAYDEN CARRUTH |