Strive;yet I do not promise The prize you dream of to-day Will not fade when you think to grasp it,And melt in your hand away;But another and holier treasure,You would now perchance disdain,Will come when your toil is over,And pay you for all your pain.

Wait;yet I do not tell you The hour you long for now,Will not come with its radiance vanished,And a shadow upon its brow;Yet far through the misty future,With a crown of starry light,An hour of joy you know not Is winging her silent flight.

Pray;though the gift you ask for May never comfort your fears,May never repay your pleading,Yet pray,and with hopeful tears;An answer,not that you long for,But diviner,will come one day,Your eyes are too dim to see it,Yet strive,and wait,and pray.