 | The Poems of Richard Watson Gilder |  |
II
The day that the child was buried
John Carman went back to his last,
And the neighbors said that for weeks and weeks
Not a word his clencht lips past.
John Carman went back to his last,
And the neighbors said that for weeks and weeks
Not a word his clencht lips past.
“He takes it hard,” they gossiped,
“Poor man, he's lacking in wit”;
“I'll drop in to-day,” said Deacon Gray,
“And comfort him up a bit.”
“Poor man, he's lacking in wit”;
“I'll drop in to-day,” said Deacon Gray,
“And comfort him up a bit.”
105
So Deacon Gray dropt in
With a kind and neighborly air,
And before he left he knelt on the floor
And wrestled with God in prayer.
With a kind and neighborly air,
And before he left he knelt on the floor
And wrestled with God in prayer.
And he said: “O Lord, Thou hast stricken
This soul in its babyhood;
In Thy own way, we beseech and pray,
Bring forth from evil good.”
This soul in its babyhood;
In Thy own way, we beseech and pray,
Bring forth from evil good.”
| The Poems of Richard Watson Gilder | |