“Walk with thy fellow-creatures; note the hush
And whisperings among them. Not a spring
Or leaf but hath his morning hymn. Each bush
And oak doth sing I am. Canst thou not sing?”
There is more to be said about making life a song than was said in the last chapter. Each one of us should live so as to make music in this world. This we can do by simple, cheerful obedience. He who does God’s will, faithfully each day makes his life a song. The music is peace. It has no jarring dissonances, any anxieties, frets, or worries, no rebellings or doubts. For a child who asked him to write a song for her, Charles Kingsley once wrote: –
“My fairest child, I have no song to give you;
No lark could pipe in skies so dull and gray;
Yet, if you will, one quiet hint I’ll give you
For every day.
I’ll tell you how to sing a clearer carol
Than lark who hails the dawn or breezy down;
To earn yourself a purer poet’s laurel
Than Shakespeare’s crown
Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever;
Do lovely things; not dream them all day long;
And so make life and death and that forever
One grand, sweet song.”
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