HYMN OF HEALTH
(From the Greek)
Health, thou most frangible of heaven's dower,
With thee may what remains of life be spent;
Cease not upon me, thus, thy gifts to shower,
And in my soul to find a tenement.
For what is there of beauty, wealth or power,
Of gentle offspring, or the wiles of love,
But owes its solace, sweet, in every hour,
To thee, thou regent of the powers above.
The spring of pleasure blooms if thou but bless,
And every step upon the Autumn way
Is lit by thee, parent of happiness!
Without thee sadly sounds life's roundelay.
(M.B.)
Health is one of those intangible inestimably precious possessions, like life and liberty, to which all are entitled by natural Law. Yet are there but few who are careful to conserve this priceless heritage. It is a boon all too often unappreciated until lost, and once lost, it may not always be regained, though intense be our regrets and our endeavours exhaust the field of human resource.
Again, although the possession of passable health may be ours, it is a condition rarely totally untroubled and continuous and, therefore, cannot be correctly classified as perfect health.
These simple definitions may seem to the reader trite and trivial; but how many of us, let me ask, give thought to their vital vast significance.