Pebbles and Shells (Hawkes collection)/The Guerdon of Song

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4657153Pebbles and Shells — The Guerdon of SongClarence Hawkes

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 living
All that I say, and for the joy of giving.

He who can feel that by his life he feeds
A hungry world and fills another's needs,
E'en though his song may be but idle things
Has known the joy for which the poet sings.