Classic Poem

To Thee O Lord we sing,
To Thee we lift our hands,
That daily take Thy many gifts,
The food of teeming lands;
Where'er Thou settest men,
Where'er they breathe Thy air,
Thou givest all their life may need
For ev'ry soul a share.
Lord of life, life of all,
Blessed be Thy name.

In hope we sow our seed,
In faith we seed the mould,
And take full many grains for one,
In bread-corn manifold.
For after all are fill'd,
And ev'ry child is fed,
A few grains given back to Thee
Still brings new stores of bread.
Lord of life, life of all,
Blessed be Thy name.

The beast in forest shades,
The cattle by the hill,
The lowly and the soaring bird
Are all below Thy will;
The water-cleaving fish,
The feet that crawl the beach,
The hunting and the hunted life
Are all within Thy reach.
Lord of life, life of all,
Blessed be Thy name.

Of man Thou hast no need,
On man Thou need'st not call,
To give the hegoat from his fold,
Or bullock from his stall.
Then what have we to pay?
What meed have we to give
To Thee who gavest all we have,
To Thee in whom we live?
Lord of life, life of all,
Blessed be Thy name.

Yet something we may bring,
And one thing Thou wilt take,
Our thankful love for all Thy gifts,
Thy love for Jesus' sake.
Thou callest us to give,
At risk of sinful blame,
The offerings of thankfulness
And call upon Thy name.
Lord of life, life of all,
Blessed be Thy name.

So may we feel at meat,
And own beside our board,
That man lives not by bread alone;
But by Thy Holy Word.
And so may seek in faith,
And crave, from Thy great love,
The bread that cometh down from Heav'n,
The manna from above.
Lord of life, life of all,
Blessed be Thy name.