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PRAYER BEFORE WORK
Great one, austere,
By whose intent the distant star
Holds its course clear,
Now make this spirit soar—
Give it that ease.
Out of the absolute
Abstracted grief, comfortless, mute,
Sound the clear note,
Pure, piercing as the flute:
Give it precision.
Austere, great one,
By whose grace the unalterable song
May still be wrested from
The corrupt lung:
Give it strict form.
A PRAYER
Help us to be the always hopeful
gardeners of the spirit
who know that without darkness
nothing comes to birth
as without light
nothing flowers.
May Sarton (1912-1995) was an American poet, novelist, and memoirist. She published more than 50 books, including novels, plays, poetry, and memoirs. Sarton was known for probing the ordinary things of life to find deeper truths.
