… Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb – let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire
O still small voice of calm!
John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-92
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire
S