If This Be All
O God! if this indeed be allThat Life can show to me;If on my aching brow may fallNo freshening dew from Thee;
If with no brighter light than thisThe lamp of hope may glow,And I may only dream of bliss,And wake to weary woe;
If friendship’s solace must decay,When other joys are gone,And love must keep so far away,While I go wandering on,—
Wandering and toiling without gain,The slave of others’ will,With constant care, and frequent pain,Despised, forgotten still;
Grieving to look on vice and sin,Yet powerless to quellThe silent current from within,The outward torrent’s swell
While all the good I would impart,The feelings I would share,Are driven backward to my heart,And turned to wormwood there;
If clouds must EVER keep from sightThe glories of the Sun,And I must suffer Winter’s blight,Ere Summer is begun;
If Life must be so full of care,Then call me soon to thee;Or give me strength enough to bearMy load of misery.