Why breathes my anxious heart the frequent sigh?
Why from my eye-balls drop the ready tear?
Is it to mark how present blessings fly?
Is is that griefs to come awake my fear?
O may I still with thankful heart enjoy
The various gifts indulgent heav’n bestows!
Nor let ungrateful diffidence destroy
The present good, with fears of future woes.
Nor let me curious ask if dark or fair
My future hours; but in the hand divine,
With full affiance, leave my every care;
Be humble hope and resignation mine.
Celestial guests! your smile can cheer the heart,
When melancholy spreads her deep’ning gloom;
O come! your animating power impart,
And bid sweet flowers amid the desart bloom.
Yes, here and there, amid the dreary wild
A spot of verdure cheers the languid eye:
And now and then a sun-beam, warm and mild,
Sheds its kind influence from a clement sky.
My God, my guide, be thou for ever near!
Support my steps, point out my devious way;
Preserve my heart from every anxious fear;
Gild each dark scene with thy enliv’ning ray.
Be earth’s quick changing scenes, or dark, or fair,
On thy kind arm, O bid my soul recline:
Be heaven-born hope (kind antidote of care)
And humble, cheerful resignation mine.
(Ann Steele)
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Based on Topics: God Poems, Sadness Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Fairness Poems, Smiling Poems, Fear Poems, Future Poems, Present Poems, Humility Poems, Guest PoemsBased on Keywords: sun-beam, animating, clement, eye-balls, heaven-born, enliv, antidote, diffidence, affiance