Classic Poem

Brothers , rejoice! for our task is completed,
After the pattern appointed of yore;
Let the reward to the Craftsmen be meted,
While with thanksgiving we bow and adore.
Low at the feet of Him,
Throned where the Seraphim
And the archangels sing anthems of praise.
Born of the lowly dust,
Wanting in faith and trust,
How shall we worship Thee, Ancient of Days!

Darkly we grope through the twilight of being,
Weary we wait for the day dawning bright;
Father Omnific, Supreme and All-Seeing,
Come to thy Temple and fill it with Light.
Write here thy great New Name,
Kindle the altar flame,
Sacred to Thee in the most holy place;
And where the cherubs fling
Light from each golden wing,
Leave us the Ark with its Symbols of grace.

Show us the truth and the pathway of duty;
Help us to lift up our standard sublime,
Till earth is restored to the Order and Beauty
Lost in the shadowless morning of time.
Teach us to sow the seed
Of many a noble deed;
Make us determined, unflinching and strong;
Armed with the sword of right,
Dauntless amid the fight,
Help us to level the bulwarks of wrong.

Prompt us to labor, as Thou hast directed,
On the foundation laid sure in the past;
And may “the stone which the builders rejected”
Crown our endeavors with glory at last.
Then, at the eventide,
Laying the Square aside,
May we look calmly on life's setting sun;
And at the Mercy Seat,
Where ransomed spirits meet.
Hear from the Master the plaudit, “Well done!”