Poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I Am Running Forth to Meet You

I am running forth to meet you, O my Master,
For they tell me you are surely on the way;
Yes, they tell me you are coming back again
(While I run, while I run).
And I wish my feet were winged to speed on faster,
And I wish I might behold you here today,
Lord of men.

I am running, yet I walk beside my neighbor,
And I take the duties given me to do;
Yes, I take the daily duties as they fall
(While I run, while I run),
And my heart runs with my hand and helps the labor,
For I think this is the way that leads to you,
Lord of all.

I am running, yet I turn from toil and duty,
Oftentimes to just the art of being glad;
Yes, to just the joys that make the earth-world bright
(While I run, while I run).
For the soul that worships God must worship beauty,
And the heart that thinks of You can not be sad,
Lord of Light.

I am running, yet I pause to greet my brother,
And I lean to rid my garden of its weed;
Yes, I lean, although I lift my thoughts above
(While I run, while I run).
And I think of that command, "Love one another."
As I hear discordant sounds of creed with creed,
Lord of Love.

I am running, and the road is lit with splendor,
And it brightens and shines fairer with each span;
Yes, it brightens like the highway in a dream
(While I run, while I run).
And my heart to all the world grows very tender,
For I seem to see the Christ in every man,
Lord supreme. 

1. At the Boro Boedoer
2. St. Dunstan's
3. Sonnets of Sorrow. 18. The wise ones tell me that my heart's wild clamour
4. Applause
5. At Eleusis

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