John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892). The Poetical Works in Four Volumes. 1892.
Occasional PoemsGarden
O P
We own Thy wise design,
Whereby these human hands of ours
May share the work of Thine!
The root and sow the seed;
Thy early and Thy later rain,
Thy sun and dew we need.
Our burden is our boon;
The curse of Earth’s gray morning is
The blessing of its noon.
For Eden’s unknown ground?
That garden of the primal pair
May nevermore be found.
May right the ancient wrong,
And give to every clime and soil
The beauty lost so long.
May Eden’s orchard shame;
We taste the tempting sweets of these
Like Eve, without her blame.
The pride of every zone,
The fairest, rarest, and the best
May all be made our own.
In hill-groves and in bowers,
The fittest offerings thither brought
Were Thy own fruits and flowers.
Thy gifts each year renewed;
The good is always beautiful,
The beautiful is good.