Poems (Ford)/To a Sister of Mercy

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TO A SISTER OF MERCY.
Dear friend, my thoughts oft wander, My heart oft turns to thee;I hear thy words of kindness, Thy friendly face I see.The shining links are brittle That worldly ties entwine;How much more true and lasting Is friendship such as thine.
Oft in the gloomy prison Where sin and sorrow dwellThy name is breathed with blessings In many a dreary cell;Oft o'er the lowly threshold Where wretchedness abides, ​Bearer of timely succor, Thy noiseless footstep glides.
May blessings gild thy pathway While walking, day by day,With strong, unwearying patience, Where Mercy leads the way,Performing deeds of kindness, And speaking words of cheer,To soothe the stricken-hearted, And dry the mourner's tear.
Oh, noble is thy mission— Then be thy labor blessed;Long be it thine to succor The needy and distressed—To guide the weak and erring, Watch by the sufferer's bed,To soothe and bless the dying, And pray beside the dead.
May angel-fingers gather Thy deeds of mercy done,And twine them into garlands To lay before the Throne;And, when life's toils are over, Mayst thou its cares lay downTo wear in endless glory A never-fading crown.
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