THE LAMPLIGHTER
Reading edition
When the light of day declines, And a swift angel through the sky Kindles God's tapers clear, With ashen staff the lamplighter Passes along the darkling streets To light our earthly lamps;
Lest, prowling in the darkness, The thief should haunt with quiet tread, Or men on evil errands set; Or wayfarers be benighted; Or neighbors, bent from house to house, Should need a guiding torch.
He is like a needlewoman Who deftly on a sable hem Stitches in gleaming jewels; Or, haply, he is like a hero, Whose bright deeds on the long journey Are beacons on our way.
And when in the East comes morning, And the broad splendour of the sun, Then, with the tune of little birds Rings on high, the lamplighter Passes by each quiet house, And he puts out the lamps.