A PRAISE beyond all other praise of ours <br />This nation holds in jealous trust for him <br />Who may approve himself, even in these dim, <br />Swift days of destiny, the soul that towers <br />Above the turmoil of contending powers, <br />A beacon firm, while seas of fury brim <br />The world's long-labored fields and vineyards trim, <br />Remembering forests and unconscious flowers. <br />Our nation longs for such a living light, <br />Kindred to stars and their eternal dreams, <br />A steadfast glow whatever breakers roll, <br />Cleaving confusions of the stormy night <br />With gracious lusters and revealing gleams, <br />—Longs for the shining of a Lincoln soul.<br /><br />Katharine Lee Bates<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/our-crown-of-praise/
