Poetry Friday: Simple Gifts

‘Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis a gift to be free,

‘Tis a gift to come round where we ought to be

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

It will be in the valley of love and delight

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend, we shan’t be ashamed.

To turn, and turn, will be our delight,

‘Til by turning, turning we come round right.

‘Tis a gift to be gentle, ’tis a gift to be fair,

‘Tis a gift to wake and breathe the morning air,

To walk every day in the path that we choose,

Is the gift that we pray we will never lose.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend, we shan’t be ashamed.

To turn, and turn, will be our delight,

‘Til by turning, turning we come round right.

‘Tis a gift to be loved, and that love to return

‘Tis a gift to be taught, and a richer gift to learn

When we “do unto others,” use our strength to heal

We will light up the world with a peace that is real.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend, we shan’t be ashamed.

To turn, and turn, will be our delight,

‘Til by turning, turning we come round right.

There are ninety thousand versions of this song; the first verse is the only one written by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett in 1848. The rest are cobbled together from people’s imaginations. This second stanza I found in a Patricia Briggs book, and the third is half my own invention, and half someone else’s.

Happy Poetry Friday.