My Commonplace Book - I'll Lend You For A Little Time a Child by Edgar Guest

My Commonplace Book

May. 15, 2006

I'll Lend You For A Little Time a Child by Edgar Guest

Edgar Guest is one of my favorite poets. Here is a poem I came across tonight that I wanted to share. I think the hardest part of being a parent is letting go and saying Good-bye. Whether we release our children to the Lord for eternity or give them away to their spouse at the altar. Our children are only with us for such a little while. . .

The image “http://www.baby-naturstuebchen.com/images/geddes320.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

I'll Lend You For A Little Time A Child

I'll lend you for a little time a child of mine."He said.
"For you to love while he lives,
And mourn for when he is dead.
It may be six or seven years, or twenty two or three.
But will you, till I call him back,
Take care of him for Me?
He'll bring his charms to gladden you,
And shall his stay be brief,
You'll have his lovely memories as solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay,
since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught down there,
I want this child to learn.
I've looked the wide world over,
In search for teachers true,
And from the throngs that crowd life's lane,
I have selected you.
Now you will give him all your love,
Nor think the labor vain,
Nor hate me when I come to call, to take him back again?

I fancied that I heard them say:
"Dear Lord, Thy will be done."
For all the joy thy child shall bring,
The risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter him with tenderness,
we'll love him while we may,
And for happiness we've known,
Forever grateful stay;
We'll brave the bitter grief that comes,
And try to understand.

--Edgar Guest

The image “http://www.freep.com/legacy/jobspage/artwork/guest.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

The image “http://www.freep.com/legacy/jobspage/artwork/guest.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

Edgar Guest and his dog whose name I do not know.

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Comments

Feb. 10, 2008 - EDg

Posted by Anonymous

The link below had the followng caption on the same picture:
Edgar A. Guest with his dog, Bismarck, in 1938

http://www.freep.com/legacy/jobspage/club/guest.htm

My email is "Email@LaurenceHolbrook.com"

The best always,

Larry Holbrook

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Commonplace books are a means of coping with information overload! They help us select, organize, classify, and remember key moral precepts. "When it came time to put away childish things, the role of the copy book was assumed by its close cousin, the "commonplace book." The process of maturation required the production of more-personal collections of writings, meant to provide inspiration, direction, and moral fortitude. Reading the commonplace books of historical figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or any number of antebellum Southern ladies gives us an interior view of each person's self-image and the words that motivated him or her. -- Rachel Toor "Commonplaces: From Quote Books to 'Sig' Files" The Chronicle of Higher Education May 25, 2001"