Thine are all the gifts, O God! <br />Thine the broken bread; <br />Let the naked feet be shod, <br />And the starving fed. <br /> <br />Let Thy children, by Thy grace, <br />Give as they abound, <br />Till the poor have breathing-space, <br />And the lost are found. <br /> <br />Wiser than the miser's hoards <br />Is the giver's choice; <br />Sweeter than the song of birds <br />Is the thankful voice. <br /> <br />Welcome smiles on faces sad <br />As the flowers of spring; <br />Let the tender hearts be glad <br />With the joy they bring. <br /> <br />Happier for their pity's sake <br />Make their sports and plays, <br />And from lips of childhood take <br />Thy perfected praise!<br /><br />John Greenleaf Whittier<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hymn-of-the-children/
