Poems (Coolidge)/I Never Knew

by Helen Elizabeth Coolidge

I NEVER KNEW

I never knew, before, the world
 So beautiful could be
As I have found it since I learned
 All care to cast on thee;
The scales have fallen from mine eyes.
 And now the light I see.

I never knew how very dear
 My fellowmen could be,
Until I learned to help them with
 A ready sympathy;
Their inner lives have made me know
 A broader charity.

I never knew how little things
 As greater ones could be,
When sanctified by love for One
 Who doth each effort see;
But now, a daily round of care
 May win a victory.

I never knew; and still, dear Lord,
 As through a glass I see,
And perfect light can only come
 When I shall dwell with thee;
When in thy likeness I awake,
 For all eternity,