Oh, to serve God for a day! From jubilant morn to the peace and the calm of the night To tread no path but His happy and blossoming way, To seek no delight But the joy that is one with the joy at heaven's heart; Only to go where Thou art, O God of all blessing and beauty! to love, to obey, With obedience sweetened by love, and love made strong by the right; Not once, not once to be drunken with self, Or to play the hypocrite's poisoned part, Or to bend the knee of my soul to the passion for pelf, Or the glittering gods of the mart; Through each glad hour to lay on the wings of its flight Some flower for the angels' sight, Some fragrant fashion of service, scarlet and white, White for the pure intent, and red where the pulses start: Oh, if I thus could serve Him, could perfectly serve Him one day, I think I could perfectly serve Him forever -- forever and aye. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO KNOW IN REVERIE THE ONLY PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE ABSOLUTE by HAYDEN CARRUTH ALL FOOLS' CALENDER by DONALD (GRADY) DAVIDSON WESTERN CIVILIZATION by JAMES GALVIN TRANSPOSITIONS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON THE COLOR SERGEANT by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON |