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Wasted Hours

Madge Morris Wagner

If that thy hand with heart-will sought,
  To work with Christ-love underlying,
But ere thou hadst accomplished aught
  Time passed thee by while vainly trying,
    The wasted hour, the vain endeavor,
    Will wait thee in the far forever.

If thou hadst toiled from dawn till eve,
  But felt no thrill of joy in giving
No heart made glad, no want relieved,
  Lived but for selfish love of living,
    Though idle hours went by thee never,
    The hours are lost to thee forever.
Online text © 1998-2008 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From Debris | H. S. Crocker & Co., 1881
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