Sleep

IN MEMORIAM: A. B. P.

Thou best of all: God's choicest blessing, Sleep; Better than Earth can offer--Wealth, Power, Fame: They change, decay; thou always art the same; Through all the years thy freshness thou dost keep; Over all lands thine even pinions sweep. The sick, the worn, the blind, the lone, the lame, Hearing thy tranquil footsteps, bless thy name; Anguish is soothed, Sorrow forgets to weep. Thou ope'st the captive's cell and bid'st him roam; Thou giv'st the hunted refuge, free'st the slave, Show'st the outcast pity, call'st the exile home; Beggar and king thine equal blessings reap. We for our loved ones Wealth, Joy, Honors crave; But God, He giveth his beloved--Sleep.