When trials come, for come they will,
Be patient if you can,
Avoid them if you have the skill,
If not then play the man,
And bravely face the howling blasts
And wait until the storm is past. Annoyances are hard to bear,
And so is racking pain,
And fretful, nervous, carping care,
And labour spent in vain,
And you may have to suffer long,
Perhaps to suffer in the wrong. But would impatience bring you peace
And calm your troubled breast,
Or murmurings afford release,
And hush your cares to rest?
Ah! No, they'd rankle in your sore
And only pain your heart the more. Some people think that they were born
To suffer pain and grief,
In every rose they find a thorn,
And never find relief--
Thorns, thistles, nettles strew their path
Provoking them to painful wrath. Should night and danger shut you in,
Your struggles to get free,
Might plunge you in some hidden gin
And seal your misery,
In such a case the better way
Would be to wait the coming day. If possible avoid the cause
Of misery and woe;
Obey both God's and nature's laws
And happiness will flow--
Take hope and patience for your guard,
And peace shall be your sure reward.
- S. Moore