SLEEP

Thou best of all: God's choicest blessing, Sleep;

Better than Earth can offer — Wealth, Power, Fame:

They change, decay; thou always art the same;

Through all the years thy freshness thou dost keep;

Over all lands thine even pinions sweep.

The sick, the worn, the blind, the lone, the lame,

Hearing thy tranquil footsteps, bless thy name;

Anguish is soothed, Sorrow forgets to weep.

Thou ope'st the captive's cell and bid'st him roam;

Thou giv'st the hunted refuge, free'st the slave,

Show'st the outcast pity, call'st the exile home;

Beggar and king thine equal blessings reap.

We for our loved ones Wealth, Joy, Honors crave;

But God, He giveth his beloved — Sleep.