Poems (Procter)/Thankfulness

by Adelaide Anne Procter

THANKFULNESS.

Y God, I thank Thee who hast made  The Earth so bright;So full of splendor and of joy,  Beauty and light;So many glorious things are here,  Noble and right!

I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast made  Joy to abound;So many gentle thoughts and deeds  Circling us round,That in the darkest spot of Earth  Some love is found.

I thank Thee more that all our joy  Is touched with pain;That shadows fall on brightest hours  That thorns remain;So that Earth's bliss may be our guide,  And not our chain.

For Thou who knowest, Lord, how soon  Our weak heart clings,Hast given us joys, tender and true,  Yet all with wings,So that we see, gleaming on high,  Diviner things!

I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept  The best in store; We have enough, yet not too much  To long for more:A yearning for a deeper peace,  Not known before.

I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls  Though amply blest,Can never find, although they seek,  A perfect rest—Nor ever shall, until they lean  On Jesus' breast!