Pebbles and Shells (Hawkes collection)/The Guerdon of Song
THE GUERDON OF SONG
'Tis not for wealth I sing my simple lays,Or e'en for fame or for the critic's praise;But for the joy of feeling and of livingAll that I say, and for the joy of giving.
He who can feel that by his life he feedsA hungry world and fills another's needs,E'en though his song may be but idle thingsHas known the joy for which the poet sings.