Classic Poem

FOR MUSIC

There is a time for praising,
And a better time for prayer —
The heart its anthem raising,
Or uttering its care:
One minute is for smiling,
And another for the tear —
Hope, by turns, beguiling,
Or her haggard brother, Fear.

But, if in joy thou praisest
The generous hand that gave —
And if in wo thou raisest
The prayer that he may save;
Thy griefs shall seem all pleasure,
As the chidings of a Friend,
And thy joy's ecstatic measure
A beginning without end!