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Jan Struther
JAN STRUTHER (1901-1953). Born and educated in London, her poems and prose were published in Great Britain and America. Her best known book, Mrs. Miniver, became a movie.
DAWN
High o’er the lonely hills,
Black turns to grey;
Birdsong the valley fills,
Mists fold away;
Grey wakes to green again,
Beauty is seen again—
Gold and serene again
Now dawns the day.
So, o’er the hills of life,
Stormy, forlorn,
Out of the cloud and strife
Sunrise is born;
Swift grows the light for us;
Ended is night for us;
Soundless and bright for us
Now breaks Your morn.
Hear we no beat of drums,
Fanfare nor cry,
When Your day’s herald comes
Quietly nigh;
Splendor she makes on earth;
Color awakes on earth;
Suddenly breaks on earth
Light from the sky.
Bid we farewell to sleep;
Rise up and run!
What though the hills be steep?
Strength’s in the sun.
Now do we find at last,
Night’s left behind at last,
For humankind at last
Day has begun!
WE THANK YOU
We thank You, God of heaven,
For all the joys that greet us,
For all that You have given
To help us and delight us
In earth and sky and seas;
The sunlight on the meadows,
The rainbow’s fleeting wonder,
The clouds with cooling shadows,
The stars that shine in splendor—
We thank You, God, for these.
For swift and gallant horses.
For lambs in pastures springing,
For dogs with friendly faces,
For birds with music thronging
Their chantries in the trees;
For herbs to cool our fever
For flowers of field and garden,
For bees among the clover
With stolen sweetness laden—
We thank You, God, for these.
For homely dwelling places
Where childhood’s visions linger,
For friends and kindly voices,
For bread to stay our hunger
And sleep to bring us ease;
For zeal and zest of living,
For faith and understanding,
For words to tell our loving,
For hope of peace unending—
We thank You, God, for these.
