Ode to Duty
Stern Daughter of the Voice of God!
I heed thee, I am fraught with awe;
I feel how awful is the sacred law
That bindeth all my soul to thee alone.

For from the wildness of the woods
To the churning shores of sea,
I seek the boundless harmony
That soothes the restless heart in me.

Yet O this Life of Freedom, too!
That calls my spirit to the sky,
Bright visions of the blooming wild,
In truth, how can I say goodbye?

O Nature, O Delight profound,
In every blossom, grace is found!

Stern Duties call, yet soft I stand,
To dream with thee, to take thy hand.

• William Wordsworth