The mighty pen! Greater than the meanest sword,
And man did not battle before he wrote word,
For how could he, to the enemy, converse?
Lo! Then he would kill not but a measly bird!
And mightier still! The sound of ringing speech!
Before he wrote word, man would talk with his teeth,
From screams of war to songs of happy relief,
A gift, and it, to our sons we shall bequeath!
And a mightier gift man never could dream,
Than the gift of sight, sights both vile and serene,
From blood on a spear to rivers, clear and clean,
When the pupil sees, it knows what it has seen!
The pen, the tongue, and sight: all beautiful gifts:
Mighty gifts, riches and treasures we cherish,
Gifts given to us, gifts which some sorely miss,
Gifts which we must revere, till we all perish.
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