 | Three Hundred Sonnets |  |
211
LIBERALITY.
Give while thou canst, it is a godlike thing;Give what thou canst, thou shalt not find it loss;
Yea, sell and give, much gain such barteries bring;
Yea, all thou hast, and get fine gold for dross:
Still, see thou scatter wisely; for to fling
Good seed on rocks, or sands, or thorny ground,
Were ill to copy Him, whose generous cross
Hath this poor world with rich salvation crown'd;
And when thou look'st on woes and want around,
Knowing that thou art but a steward of wealth,
That better it is to give than to receive,
That riches cannot buy thee joy nor health,—
Why hinder thine own mercies? thousands grieve
Whom 'twere thy bliss to gladden and relieve.
| Three Hundred Sonnets | |