Ultima Veritas

In the bitter waves of woe,    
    Beaten and tossed about
    By the sullen winds that blow
    From the desolate shores of doubt,--

    When the anchors that faith had cast
    Are dragging in the gale,
    I am quietly holding fast
    To the things that cannot fail:

    I know that right is right;
    That it is not good to lie;
    That love is better than spite,
    And a neighbor than a spy;

    I know that passion needs
    The leash of a sober mind;
    I know that generous deeds
    Some sure reward will find;

    That the rulers must obey;
    That the givers shall increase;
    That Duty lights the way
    For the beautiful feet of Peace;--

    In the darkest night of the year,
    When the stars have all gone out,
    That courage is better than fear,
    That faith is truer than doubt;

    And fierce though the fiends may fight,
    And long though the angels hide,
    I know that Truth and Eight
    Have the universe on their side;

    And that somewhere, beyond the stars,
    Is a Love that is better than fate;
    When the night unlocks her bars
    I shall see Him, and I will wait.