Classic Poem

Not what inclination
Or fashion would suggest,
Not that situation
More lofty than the rest,
Not the goal that's nearest,
Not the path that's clearest,
But the next thing.
Not where skies are bluest,
And the storms are fewest,
Not the word that easeth,
Not the task that pleaseth,
But the next thing.

That which duty prompteth,
That which love suggests,
That which makes thee happier
In thyself and guests.
The word that is the truest,
The song that is the best,
The pathway that is purest,
More useful than the rest;
The place that e'en if dying,
Thou would'st not fear to be;
The work that most is needed
For God, the world and thee.