Public-domain source text

Joy and Duty

by Henry van Dyke Jr.

From Standard Ebooks · standardebooks/henry-van-dyke-jr_poetry

“Joy is a Duty,”⁠—so with golden lore The Hebrew rabbis taught in days of yore, And happy human hearts heard in their speech Almost the highest wisdom man can reach.
But one bright peak still rises far above, And there the Master stands whose name is Love, Saying to those whom weary tasks employ: “Life is divine when Duty is a Joy.”

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This is a source transcription from Standard Ebooks, published in Past Poetry’s public-domain archive without line-by-line editorial notes. Public-domain source edition. Availability can vary by territory.

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