Life Sculpture

Chisel in hand stood a sculptor boy
   With his marble block before him,
And his eyes lit up with a smile of joy,
   As an angel dream passed o'er him.

He carved the dream on that shapeless stone,
   With many a sharp incision;
With Heaven's own light the sculptor shone--
   He'd caught that angel vision.

Children of life are we, as we stand
   With our lives uncarved before us,
Waiting the hour when, at God's command,
   Our life dream shall pass o'er us.

If we carve it then on the yielding stone,
   With many a sharp incision,
Its heavenly beauty shall be our own,
   Our lives that angel vision.

                   ~ William Croswell Doane

Leisure

What is this life, if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare,

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass,

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

        ~ W. H. Davies

Life's Mirror

There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
   There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best you have,
   And the best will come back to you.

Give love, and love to your life will flow,
   A strength in your utmost need;
Have faith, and a score of hearts will show
   Their faith in your word and deed.

Give truth, and your gift will be paid in kind,
   And honor will honor meet,
And a smile that is sweet will surely find
   A smile that is just as sweet.

Give sorrow and pity to those who mourn;
   You will gather in flowers again
The scattered seeds of your thought outborne,
   Though the sowing seemed but vain.

For life is the mirror of king and slave--
   'Tis just what we are and do;
Then give to the world the best you have,
   And the best will come back to you.

                 ~ Madeline Bridges
                    (Mary Ainge DeVere)

Life's Lessons

I learn, as the years roll onward
   And leave the past behind,
That much I had counted sorrow
   But proves that God is kind;
That many a flower I had longed for
   Had hidden a thorn of pain,
And many a rugged bypath
   Led to fields of ripened grain.

The clouds that cover the sunshine
   They can not banish the sun;
And the earth shines out the brighter
   When the weary rain is done.
We must stand in the deepest shadow
   To see the clearest light;
And often thro' wrong's own darkness
   Comes the very strength of light.

The sweetest rest is at even,
   After a wearisome day,
When the heavy burden of labor
   Has born from our hearts away;
And those who have never known sorrow
   Can not know the infinite peace
That falls on the troubled spirit
   When it sees at last release.

We must live thro' the dreary winter
   If we would value the spring;
And the woods must be cold and silent
   Before the robins sing.
The flowers must be buried in darkness
   Before they can bud and bloom,
And the sweetest, warmest sunshine
   Comes after the storm and gloom.

                     ~ John Henry Newman

Look To This Day

Look to this day, for it is life,
The very life of life.
In its brief course lies all
The realities and verities of existence,
The bliss of growth,
The splendor of action,
The glory of power--

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today, well lived,
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

                           ~ Sanskrit Proverb

This Life of Mine

This life of mine can nothing be
If I don't give it, Lord, to Thee;
For only Thou canst see ahead
How rough the way that I must tread.

And, only Thou new life can give
When I have lost the will to live;
When hope has died and dreams have fled,
When o'er the wreck my tears are shed.

Oh, take it, Lord, this life of mine,
And fill it with Thy love divine;
For only Thou dost know the way
That leads me to eternal day!

                       ~ Vera J. Davis

Barter

Life has loveliness to sell,
    All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
    Soaring fire that sways and sings
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
    Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
    Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
    Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
    Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

                    ~ Sara Teasdale