Stern duty calls and I, alas,
Must her behest obey.
Must now with strength my will compass,
Nor wavering thought betray.
It is, it must be fate's decree,
That while I sojourn here,
To be my lot to turn and flee
From all my heart holds dear.
To pass with cold averted eyes,
The hand I fain would clasp,
And shun the thing my soul would prize
At last within my grasp.
Why did I choose this life of pain?
Why do I live it still?
Why drink the dregs, and then again
My cup of sorrow fill?
I do not know, I cannot tell.
Nor why along the road
When from my back the burden fell
I took again the load.
I think I love the life of pain
That God has given to me.
For I would live it o'er again
If such a thing could be.
The sorrows that have come to me
Have taught me how to find
The souls in need of sympathy,
The wrecked among mankind.
My loss has been a blessed gain
For I have learnt to know,
That oft a simple woman's pain
May heal a nation's woe.