Poem by Richard Watson Gilder

The New Day. Part 4. 17. “He Knows Not the Path of Duty”

He knows not the path of duty
⁠     Who says that the way is sweet;
But he who is blind to the beauty,
     ⁠And finds but thorns for his feet.

He alone is the perfect giver
     ⁠Who swears that his gift is naught;
And he is the sure receiver
     ⁠Who gains what he never sought.

Heaven from the hopeless doubter
⁠     The true believer makes;
Against the darkness outer
     ⁠The light God's likeness takes.

Like the pale, cold moon above her
⁠     With its heart of the heart of fire,
My Love is the one true lover,
⁠     And hers is the soul of desire.

1. The New Day. Part 3. 12. Denial
2. The New Day. Part 3. 19. Thistle-Down
3. The New Day. Part 4. 4. Song (Not from the whole wide world I chose thee)
4. The New Day. Part 3. 28. Francesca and Paolo
5. The New Day. Part 3. 31. “When the Last Doubt Is Doubted”

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