O Lord protect the innocent, whose heart
had neither time nor will to rail at Thee;
who heard but could not understand; forgive
the thinker in whose mind false doctrine shone
forgive the poet, baffled and amazed
by nature's bounty, who exalted her
a universe without Thee. Hear me, Lord;
keep safe all these, in Thy sweet grace and love.
protect the infant born too late, the child
too young to grapple with Thy mystery;
protect the ignorant who never heard
tell of his Maker, and the simpletonwho heard but could not understand; forgive
the thinker in whose mind false doctrine shone
as truth, the theologian, the acute
apologist, the keen philosopher;forgive the poet, baffled and amazed
by nature's bounty, who exalted her
without acknowledging Thy providence;
also the steward of science, who would provea universe without Thee. Hear me, Lord;
keep safe all these, in Thy sweet grace and love.
