Watch, Work, Pray

EMILIE HERMINE LOVELL

Ask the gardener, he will tell you
That he reaps but what he sows;
That the soil must be in order,
Or the seed is dwarfed by foes;
That the tares in good soil prosper
As the seed that aims to bless;
That the good kind, he must nourish,
Guard its growth with tenderness;
True discernment is most needful—
Sprouts bespeak the ripen'd fruit;
That with prudence he must sever
Baneful waste from worthy root.
That obedience, prayer, and watching
Fill the days with joys untold;
Patient love, all law fulfilling,
Yields a harvest hundredfold.