I do my best to walk in peaceful calm,
and I have vowed to do no harm, no harm.
But living with these shadows in this world,
the wail of trampled voices, cries of blood,
the suffering imposed by greed and fear,
at times down in the heavy depths there burns
a weight, there seethes a flame, there stirs and heaves
a great dark rage that I can’t bear alone,
and so I hand the red hot iron to Christ,
who with insistent, mighty, ringing blows
beats it on his anvil, throwing sparks.
And I have vowed to do no harm, no harm,
though much may be upturned by such a plow.