--From the Persian, tr. by William Rounseville Alger.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary.
Strength for to-day is all that we need, As there never will be a to-morrow; For to-morrow will prove but another to-day With its measure of joy or of sorrow.
Don't think your lot the worst because Some griefs your joy assail; There aren't so very many saws That never strike a nail.
When it drizzles and drizzles, If we cheerfully smile, We can make the weather, By working together, As fair as we choose in a little while. For who will notice that clouds are drear If pleasant faces are always near, And who will remember that skies are gray If he carries a happy heart all day?
Heaven is not reached by a single bound; But we build the ladder by which we rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to its summit round by round.
I count this thing to be grandly true: That the noble deed is a step toward God, Lifting the soul from the common clod To a purer air and a broader view.
We rise by the things that are under feet; By what we have mastered of good and gain, By the pride deposed and the passion slain, And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet.
We hope, we aspire, we resolve, we trust, When the morning calls us to life and light; But our hearts grow weary, and ere the night Our lives are treading the sordid dust.
We hope, we resolve, we aspire, we pray, And we think that we mount the air on wings, Beyond the recall of sensual things, While our feet still cling to the heavy clay.
Wings for the angels, but feet for men! We may borrow the wings to find the way; We may hope, and resolve, and aspire, and pray; But our feet must rise, or we fall again.
Only in dreams is a ladder thrown From the weary earth to the sapphire walls, But the dreams depart, and the vision falls, And the sleeper wakes on his pillow of stone.
Heaven is not reached at a single bound; But we build the ladder by which we rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to its summit round by round.
Purer yet and purer I would be in mind, Dearer yet and dearer Every duty find; Hoping still and trusting God without a fear, Patiently believing He will make it clear.