A Prayer for My Daughter May she be granted beauty without vanity, And a warm heart without loss of temper, And endless tenderness without regret, A seeking heart and a mind of knowledge That do not occupy in that fashion, Forever disillusioning her sight.
May the good in every heart surround her, Nurture her way firmly in right And dirt can only be washed into dust She will find that love, as those who come to her, Is strong with righteous vows spoken.”
And in that love reject not any curse, For those who have strength come from dark nights, Give her the peace of fairy light To breathe into her foolish unkindness That the world needs nor the rise of the shaping storm.
- William Butler Yeats