When Sorrow Comes
~ Edgar Guest

When sorrow comes, as come it must,
In God a man must place his trust.

There is no power in mortal speech
The anguish of his soul to reach,

No voice, however sweet and low,
Can comfort him or ease the blow.

He cannot from his fellow men
Take strength that will sustain him then.

With all that kindly hands will do,
And all that love may offer, too,

He must believe throughout the test
That God has willed it for the best.

We who would be his friends are dumb;
Words from our lips but feebly come;

We feel, as we extend our hands,
That one Power only understands

And truly knows the reason why
So beautiful a soul must die.

We realize how helpless then
Are all the gifts of mortal men.

No words which we have power to say
Can take the sting of grief away -

That Power which marks the sparrow's fall
Must comfort and sustain us all.

When sorrow comes, as come it must,
In God, a man must place his trust.

With all the wealth which he may own,
He cannot meet the test alone,

And only he may stand serene
Who has a faith on which to lean.