Your Mission

If you cannot on the ocean
Sail among the swiftest fleet,
Rocking on the highest billows,
Laughing at the storms you meet,
You can stand among the sailors,
Anchored yet within the bay,
You can lend a hand to help them,
As they launch their boats away.

If you are too weak to journey
Up the mountain steep and high,
You can stand within the valley,
While the multitudes go by;
You can chant in happy measure,
As they slowly pass along;
Though they may forget the singer,
They will not forget the song.

If you have not gold and silver
Ever ready to command,
If you cannot towards the needy
Reach an ever-open hand,
You can visit the afflicted,
O’er the erring you can weep,
You can be a true disciple,
Sitting at the Savior’s feet.

If you cannot in the conflict,
Prove yourself a soldier true,
If where fire and smoke are thickest,
There’s no work for you to do,
When the battle-field is silent,
You can go with careful tread,
You can bear away the wounded,
You can cover up the dead.

Do not then stand idly waiting
For some greater work to do,
Fortune is a lazy goddess,
She will never come to you.
Go and toil in any vineyard,
Do not fear to do or dare,
If you want a field of labor,
You can find it anywhere.

— Ellen M. H. Gates

Analysis of the poem “Your Mission”

Your Mission is a poem by Ellen M. H. Gates, a 19th century American poet and hymn writer1. The poem was first published in 1859 in the International Song Service, a collection of hymns for Sunday schools and gospel meetings. The poem is also known as President Lincoln’s favorite hymn, as he requested it to be sung twice at a gathering of the United States Christian Commission in Washington, D.C. at the start of the American Civil War.

The poem consists of six stanzas, each with eight lines and a refrain. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD EE. The poem uses a variety of poetic devices, such as imagery, metaphor, repetition, and parallelism. The poem’s main theme is that everyone has a mission or a purpose in life, regardless of their circumstances or abilities. The poem encourages the reader to find their way of serving God and humanity, whether by sailing on the ocean, climbing the mountain, harvesting wheat, fighting in the war, or simply singing a song or sitting at the Savior’s feet. The poem also emphasizes that fortune does not come to those who wait but rather to those who work and dare. The poem’s tone is optimistic, hopeful, and inspirational.

The poem can be interpreted as a reflection of Gates’ own life and faith. She was born into a wealthy family but suffered from poor health and physical disabilities. She was unable to attend school or travel extensively. She devoted herself to writing poems and hymns, which were widely published and popular. She also supported various charitable causes, such as the abolition of slavery, temperance, and women’s rights. She believed that God had given her a mission to use her talents for His glory and the good of others.