 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
Not as the World giveth
Thy gifts are not the gifts that others give,For Thou art kind unto them when they pray;
And giv'st them bread on which their souls can live,
Nor with a serpent sendst them poor away;
The more they eat of all thy hand supplies,
The more thy peace within abundant grows,
Till all that is not thine forever dies,
And heaven alone the perfect spirit knows;
Then shall thy children ever find employ,
In acts thy love has taught their hands to do;
Each loved by Thee shall swell the other's joy,
And every secret prayer be brought to view;
By Thee who dwellst in secret, and will bring
Into the light of life each hidden thing.
Poem No. 712; fall 1838–summer 1839
| Jones Very : The Complete Poems | |