Poem by Richard Watson Gilder

The New Day. Part 4. 17. “He Knows Not the Path of Duty”

He knows not the path of duty
⁠     Who says that the way is sweet;
But he who is blind to the beauty,
     ⁠And finds but thorns for his feet.

He alone is the perfect giver
     ⁠Who swears that his gift is naught;
And he is the sure receiver
     ⁠Who gains what he never sought.

Heaven from the hopeless doubter
⁠     The true believer makes;
Against the darkness outer
     ⁠The light God's likeness takes.

Like the pale, cold moon above her
⁠     With its heart of the heart of fire,
My Love is the one true lover,
⁠     And hers is the soul of desire.

1. The New Day. Part 3. 29. The Unknown Way
2. The New Day. Part 4. 16. “Love Is Not Bond to Any Man”
3. The New Day. Part 3. 6. “Love Me Not, Love, for That I First Loved Thee”
4. The New Day. Part 4. 10. The Violin
5. The Celestial Passion. Part 1. 4. The Master-Poets

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