Page:Poems Hoffman.djvu/30

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TRUST

Fear not to tread the unknown way, my heart;
If God takes from thee any earthly part,
He fills the measure up with better worth;
As much of Heaven, as hath been lost of earth.

Shun that mirage upon whose shifting brink
No dying traveler ever stooped to drink,
For no alluring pleasure turn aside
From where the landmarks of your duty guide.

Not unto bliss or misery are we born,
To wealth and honor or to want and scorn,
But to a world where each his work is given
The reward of faithfulness,—one common Heaven.

Our destiny in our own hands we sway
Claim if we will or cast the prize away,
By no degree of judgment unexplained
Is Heaven lost, or Paradise regained.

Fear not, my heart, though God hath taken all
Thine earthly cup of happiness contains,
When all of earth is lost beyond recall,
Lo, all of Heaven remains.

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