If in Any Way I Have Helped a Soul
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1854-1919): her photo and signature
If any line that I ever penned,
Or any word I have spoken,
Has comforted heart of foe or friend –
In any way, why my life, I’ll say,
Has reaped the reward of labour,
If aught I have said, or written, has made
Gladder the heart o’ my neighbour.
If any deed that I ever did
Lightened a sad heart’s sorrow,
If I have lifted a drooping lid
Up to the bright to-morrow,
Though the world knows not, nor gives me a thought,
Nor ever can know, nor praise me,
Yet still I shall say, to my heart alway,
That my life and labour repay me.
If in any way I have helped a soul,
Or given a spirit pleasure,
Then my cup of joy, I shall think, is full
With an overflowing measure.
Though never an eye but the one on high
Looks on my kindly action,
Yet, O my heart, we shall think of our part
In the drama, with satisfaction.
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Reproduced from the book “Poetical Works of Ella Wheeler Wilcox”, W.P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell, Edinburgh, undated, probably 1917, 527 pages, see p. 208.
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On 14 September 2016, a group of students decided to found the Independent Lodge of Theosophists. Two of the priorities adopted by the ILT are learning from the past and working for a better future.
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