A Psalm Of The Good Teacher
The Lord is my Teacher:
I shall not lose the way to wisdom.
He leadeth me in the lowly path of learning,
He prepareth a lesson for me every day;
He findeth the clear fountains of instruction,
Little by little He showeth me the beauty of the truth.
The world is a great book that He hath written,
He turneth the leaves for me slowly;
They are all inscribed with images and letters,
His voice poureth light on the pictures and the words.
Then am I glad when I perceive His meaning,
He taketh me by the hand to the hill-top of vision;
In the valley also He walketh beside me,
And in the dark places He whispereth to my heart.
Yea, though my lesson be hard it is not hopeless,
For the Lord is very patient with His slow scholar;
He will wait awhile for my weakness,
He will help me to read the truth through tears.
Surely Thou wilt enlighten me daily by joy and by sorrow;
And lead me at last, O Lord, to the perfect knowledge of Thee. .
—Henry Van Dyke.
That Which Endures
Build as man may, Time gnaws and peers
Through marble fissures, granite rents;
Only Imagination rears
Imperishable monuments.
Let Gaul and Goth pollute the shrine,
Level the altar, fire the fane:
There is no razing the Divine;
For God returns and God remains.
—Alfred Austin.
Alternate Reading: Acts 20:17-38.