If in the fight my arm was strong,And forced my foes to yield,If conquering and unhurt I came Back from the battle-field -It is because thy prayers have been My safeguard and my shield.
My comrades smile to see my arm Spare or protect a foe,They think thy gentle pleading voice Was silenced long ago;But pity and compassion,love,Were taught me first by woe.
Thy heart,my own,still beats in Heaven With the same love divine That made thee stoop to such a soul,So hard,so stern,as mine -My eyes have learnt to weep,beloved,Since last they looked on thine.
I hear thee murmur words of peace Through the dim midnight air,And a calm falls from the angel stars And soothes my great despair -The Heavens themselves look brighter,love,Since thy sweet soul is there.
And if my heart is once more calm,My step is once more free,It is because each hour I feel Thou prayest still for me;Because no fate or change can come Between my soul and thee.
It is because my heart is stilled.Not broken by despair,Because I see the grave is bright,And death itself is fair -I dread no more the wrath of Heaven -I have an angel there!
