Poetry and Art

By R. J. McLauchlin (1925)

Between the Compasses' twain points, the

Craftsman's toil is set;

'Tis his for work a lifetime through, nor ever

to forget,

That, whatsoever he fashions and whate'er his

genius be,

The Compass spans his labor with the arms of

Masonry.

So one may build magnificence in chastely

sculptured stone,

And one may rise and strike an evil tyrant

from his throne.

And one may woo posterity with noble works

and wise,

And one may send a tower's height sublimely

toward the skies.

But unto each there comes at length, be he

a Craftsman true,

The knowledge that the Compass bounds

whate'er his skill may do.

That still between its arms he works and ever

he remains

A Workman to the Temple, in despite of grosser

gains.

Oh, howsoe'er fame may come or fair renown

depart,

The Craftsman thus exemplifies his conse-

crated heart.

Through many generations of the works of

brain and hands,

As Alpha and Omega, still the Craftsman's

Compass stands.

So one may delve for rubies past the foolish

bounds of worth,

And one may marshal armies from the ends

of all the earth,

And one may sing, and one may spin and one

may sow the soil,

But still the Craftsman's Compass marks the

limits of his toil.

W. W. Clarke