That many a rugged bypath
Led to fields of ripened grain
And many a flower I longed for
Held a hidden thorn of pain

The clouds but cover the sunshine
They cannot banish the sun
And the earth shines out the brighter
When the weary rain is done.

We must stand in the deepest sorrow
To see the clearest light
And often from wrong’s own darkness
Comes the very strength of right!

We must live through the weary winter
If we could but value the Spring
And the woods must be cold and silent
Before the robins sing

The flowers must be buried in darkness
Before they can bud and bloom
And the sweetest and warmest sunshine
Comes after the storm and gloom.

So the heart from the hardest trial
Gains the purest joy of all
And from lips that have tasted sadness
The sweetest songs will fall
For as peace comes after suffering
And love is reward of pain
So after earth comes heaven
And out of our loss
The gain.

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