I ASK not wealth, but power to take And use the things I have aright, Not years, but wisdom that shall make My life a profit and delight. I ask not, that for me, the plan Of good and ill be set aside; But that the common lot of man Be nobly borne, and glorified. I know I may not always keep My steps in places green and sweet, Nor find the pathway of the deep A path of safety for my feet; But pray, that when the tempest's breath Shall fiercely sweep my way about, I make not shipwreck of my faith In the unbottomed sea of doubt; And that, though it be mine to know How hard the stoniest pillow seems, Good angels still may come and go, About the places of my dreams. I do not ask for love below, That friends shall never be estranged; But for the power of loving, so My heart may keep its youth unchanged. Youth, joy, wealth -- Fate I give thee these; Leave faith and hope till life is past; And leave my heart's best impulses Fresh and unfailing to the last! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...APPELLATE JURISDICTION by MARIANNE MOORE AT CASTERBRIDGE FAIR: 6. A WIFE WAITS by THOMAS HARDY ON VISITING THE TOMB OF BURNS by JOHN KEATS WORLDLY PLACE by MATTHEW ARNOLD EMBLEMS OF LOVE: 8. BE QUICK AND SURE by PHILIP AYRES VERSES SUPPOSED TO BE WRITTEN IN A BURIAL-GROUND .. SOCIETY OF FRIENDS by BERNARD BARTON EPITAPH ON TWO YOUNG MEN NAMED LEITCH IN CROSSING THE RIVER SOUTHESK by JAMES BEATTIE |