A builder builded a temple;
He wrought with care and skill:-
Pillars and groins and arches
Were fashioned to meet his will;
And men said when they saw its beauty:
“It shall never know decay.
Great is thy skill, O builder,
Thy fame shall endure.”
A teacher builded a temple;
She wrought it with skill and care;-
Forming each pillar with patience,
Laying each stone with prayer.
None saw the unceasing effort;
None knew of the marvelous plan;
For the temple the teacher builded
Was unseen by the eyes of man.
Gone is the builder’s temple;-
Crumbled into dust,-
Pillar and groin and arches
Food for the consuming rust;
But the temple the teacher builded
Shall endure while the ages roll;-
For that beautiful, unseen temple
Was a child’s immortal soul.
