In This Our World

New Duty

Once to God we owed it all,—
        God alone;
Bowing in eternal thrall,
Giving, sacrificing all,
        Before the Throne.

Once we owed it to the King,—
        Served the crown;
Life, and love, and everything,
In allegiance to the King,
        Laying down.

Now we owe it to Mankind,—
        To our Race;
Fullest fruit of soul and mind,
Heart and hand and all behind,
        Now in place.

Loving-service, wide and free,
        From the sod
Up in varying degree,
Through me and you—through you and me—
        Up to God!