 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
508
Man's Accountability
How shalt thou give account to God, O man,For all that in the body thou hast done,
Since first thy life upon the earth began,
Recalling every action, one by one?
We cannot, save the memory quickened be,
And every deed shall in God's light appear;
And each the record of his life shall see,
The evil to condemn, the good to cheer.
Yet must thou give account, though weak and frail,
And memory to its trust unfaithful prove;
Say, shall the good, or evil then prevail?
Unrighteous deeds, or works of mercy, love?
For memory cannot die, but quickened lives,
And in heaven's light a perfect record gives.
Poem No. 201; c. 2 June 1877
| Jones Very : The Complete Poems | |