To be a good father, what must one do?

(by Nicholas Gordon)



To be a good father, what must one do?
First one must love, as the sun warms the Earth,
Nourishing those to whom it gave birth
With radiant pleasure and joy ever new.

And what then, my father, must a good father do?
Then one must give of oneself, as a rill
Flings itself carelessly down a steep hill
To fill up a hollow with heaven's sweet hue.

What next, my father, must a good father do?
Next one must gird up one's loins to protect
Those who might suffer from want and neglect
Were one not loyal, and to one's vow true.

Is there anything else a good father must do?
Yes, there is much more that cannot be said,
Addressed to the heart and not to the head
Of one who desires that passion to view.
But ah!, my dear father, that one is not you!