Happy the man who bears that holy name, Nor lives for self; who treasures children's love Beyond all else; whose glory 'tis to claim That sacred trust, the gift of God above; Whose toiling hours are gladdened by the kiss Of baby lips when days begin and close, Who learns in truth that man's paternal bliss Is youth renewed through that which youth bestows. His life brings joy, though children presage care, And worried brow oft marks him amongst men, Though sorrows come and Time steals from its lair And drags his loved ones to its worldly den; His greatest joy,—sublime when understood, Is giving life, sustaining it, and this Conformable to God, whose Fatherhood He but reflects;—his life a genesis. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CAMPUS SONNET: MAY MORNING by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET THE CHANGED WOMAN by LOUISE BOGAN BUT NOW by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON RHYTHM by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON LINES ON CARMEN SYLVA by EMMA LAZARUS THE GUARDIAN OF THE RED DISK (SPOKEN BY A CITIZEN OF MALTA - 1300) by EMMA LAZARUS |