If I gave you Sickness,

If I brought you Care, Let him make one Patience, And the other Prayer.

Where I brought you Sorrow,
Through his care, at length,

It may rise triumphant
Into future Strength.

If I brought you Plenty,

All wealth's bounteous charms,

Shall not the New Angel
Turn them into Alms?

I gave Health and Leisure,
Skill to dream and plan;
Let him make them nobler;
Work for God and Man.

If I broke your Idols,

Showed you they were dust, Let him turn the Knowledge Into heavenly Trust.

If I brought Temptation,

Let sin die away

Into boundless Pity

For all hearts that stray.

STR

The prize you dream of to-day

Will not fade when you think to grasp it,
And melt in your hand away;
But another and holier treasure,
You would now perchance disdain,
Will come when your toil is over,
And pay you for all your pain.

Wait; yet I do not tell you

The hour you long for now

Will not come with its radiance vanished,
And a shadow upon its brow;
Yet far through the misty future,
With a crown of starry light,

An hour of joy you know not,
Is winging her silent flight.

Pray, though the gift you ask for
May never comfort your fears,
May never repay your pleading,

Yet pray, and with hopeful tears;
An answer, not that you long for,
But diviner, will come one day;
Your eyes are too dim to see it,
Yet strive, and wait, and pray.

PER PACEM AD LUCEM.

I

DO not ask, O Lord, that life
A pleasant road;

may

be

I do not ask that Thou wouldst take from me

Aught of its load;

I do not ask that flowers should always spring
Beneath my feet;

I know too well the poison and the sting
Of things too sweet.

For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead,
Lead me aright —

Though strength should falter, and though heart should

bleed

Through Peace to Light.

I do not ask, O Lord, that Thou shouldst shed

Full radiance here;

Give but a ray of peace, that I may

Without a fear.

tread

OUR DAILY BREAD.

I do not ask my cross to understand,
My way to see;

Better in darkness just to feel Thy hand
And follow Thee.

Joy is like restless day: but peace divine
Like quiet night:

137

till perfect Day shall shine,

Through Peace to Light.

OUR DAILY BREAD.

GIVE us our daily Bread,

O God, the bread of strength!

For we have learnt to know
How weak we are at length.
As children we are weak,
As children must be fed;
Give us Thy Grace, O Lord,
To be our daily Bread.

The bitter bread of grief,
We sought earth's poisoned feasts
For pleasure and relief;

We sought her deadly fruits,

But now, O God, instead,
We ask Thy healing grief

To be our daily Bread.

Give us our daily Bread

To cheer our fainting soul; The feast of comfort, Lord,

And peace to make us whole : For we are sick of tears,