Speak Gently

Speak gently! it is better far
To rule by love than fear;
Speak gently! let not harsh words mar
The good we may do here.

Speak gently! Love doth whisper low

The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently Friendship’s accents flow;
Affection’s voice is kind.

Speak gently to the little child,
Its love be sure to gain ;
Teach it in accents soft and mild;
It may not long remain.

Speak gently to the young, for they
Will have enough to bear;
Pass through this life as best they may,
‘Tis full of anxious care.

Speak gently to the aged one,
Grieve not the careworn heart;
The sands of life are nearly run,
Let such in peace depart.

Speak gently, kindly, to the poor;

Let no harsh tone be heard.
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word.

Speak gently to the erring; know
They must have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again!

Speak gently: He who gave His life
To bend man’s stubborn will,

When elements were fierce in strife,
Said to them, “Peace be still!”

Speak gently, ‘t is a little thing,
Dropp’d in the heart’s deep well;
The good, the joy, that it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.

-        by George W. Hangford