John Greenleaf Whittier: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

The Angel of Patience

John Greenleaf Whittier

“The Angel of Patience” as printed in The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier (1895).

John Greenleaf Whittier: Collected Lyrics Text 128 1895 · historical text
Public domainBalladAmerican song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

To weary hearts, to mourning homes,

God’s meekest Angel gently comes:

No power has he to banish pain,

Or give us back our lost again;

And yet in tenderest love, our dear

And Heavenly Father sends him here.

There ’s quiet in that Angel’s glance,

There ’s rest in his still countenance!

He mocks no grief with idle cheer,

Nor wounds with words the mourner’s ear;

But ills and woes he may not cure

He kindly trains us to endure.

Angel of Patience! sent to calm

Our feverish brows with cooling palm;

To lay the storms of hope and fear,

And reconcile life’s smile and tear;

The throbs of wounded pride to still,

And make our own our Father’s will!

O thou who mournest on thy way,

With longings for the close of day;

He walks with thee, that Angel kind,

And gently whispers, "Be resigned:

Bear up, bear on, the end shall tell

The dear Lord ordereth all things well!"

Credits

Written by John Greenleaf Whittier

Words by John Greenleaf Whittier. Historical text published in The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier (1895); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier (1895), “The Angel of Patience”

Every text in this 1895 collected edition is by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), who died more than 133 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-27. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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