Poems (Ford)/To a Sister of Mercy

TO A SISTER OF MERCY.

Dear friend, my thoughts oft wander,
My heart oft turns to thee;
I hear thy words of kindness,
Thy friendly face I see.
The shining links are brittle
That worldly ties entwine;
How much more true and lasting
Is friendship such as thine.

Oft in the gloomy prison
Where sin and sorrow dwell
Thy name is breathed with blessings
In many a dreary cell;
Oft o'er the lowly threshold
Where wretchedness abides,
Bearer of timely succor,
Thy noiseless footstep glides.

May blessings gild thy pathway
While walking, day by day,
With strong, unwearying patience,
Where Mercy leads the way,
Performing deeds of kindness,
And speaking words of cheer,
To soothe the stricken-hearted,
And dry the mourner's tear.

Oh, noble is thy mission—
Then be thy labor blessed;
Long be it thine to succor
The needy and distressed—
To guide the weak and erring,
Watch by the sufferer's bed,
To soothe and bless the dying,
And pray beside the dead.

May angel-fingers gather
Thy deeds of mercy done,
And twine them into garlands
To lay before the Throne;
And, when life's toils are over,
Mayst thou its cares lay down
To wear in endless glory
A never-fading crown.