Classic Poem

In Nature's kindergarten school
I gather out of grass and dew—
Emblem of her eternal rule—
A cup and saucer, brown of hue.

An acorn? Yes. And as I gaze,
From wheels of chariots, spoke on spoke
The sunlight falls in glittering rays
That praise the product of the oak!

Heart of the acorn! Heart of me!
Which is the lesser, which more blind?
The germ that longs to be a tree,
Or I who yearn toward human kind?

Whether we will it so or not,
Time teaches both that it is best
To long, aspire—to grasp our lot—
To strive and suffer—and to rest.

O kindly rule, that, of the seed,
Imprisoned in its brown cup shell,
Ne'er asks that it be oak or reed,
But just to grow, and all is well!

O sweet content in lowly ways,
That bids the soul to strike no note
To jar with unexacted lays
That well up in the robin's throat!

So will our dream of dreams come true.
From seeds we cannot see to-day,
Out of the old shall come the new,
Out of the dark the morning ray.