The Beggar To Mab, The Fairy Queen
Please your Grace, from out your store
Give an alms to one that's poor,
That your mickle may have more.
Black I'm grown for want of meat,
Give me then an ant to eat,
Or the cleft ear of a mouse
Over-sour'd in drink of souce;
Or, sweet lady, reach to me
The abdomen of a bee;
Or commend a cricket's hip,
Or his huckson, to my scrip;
Give for bread, a little bit
Of a pease that 'gins to chit,
And my full thanks take for it.
Flour of fuz-balls, that's too good
For a man in needy-hood;
But the meal of mill-dust can
Well content a craving man;
Any orts the elves refuse
Well will serve the beggar's use.
But if this may seem too much
For an alms, then give me such
Little bits that nestle there
In the pris'ner's pannier.
So a blessing light upon
You, and mighty Oberon;
That your plenty last till when
I return your alms again.
poem by Robert Herrick
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Related quotes
Alms
Yes
Today
I will
Give her alms
But only
If she asked
Which she always did
Mysterious cruelty
Not a single glance
As she passed
Hands full of alms
No
Alms full of hands
Yes, My, My hands.
poem by Sanjay Mehta
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I know that a man who shows me his wealth is like the beggar who shows me his poverty; they are both looking for alms from me, the rich man for the alms of my envy, the poor man for the alms of my guilt.
Lord Buddha begged.
The society has more thieves than beggars.
In a way, beggars are better than thieves.
They beg but steal not and get but usurp not.
Mortgaging their ego, they are begging.
It is easy to steal but hard to beg.
Give or not, don’t treat beggars with contempt.
Do treat them at par while you give them alms.
Feel elated while you offer them alms.
While giving, dispel their humiliation.
Lord Buddha too led His life as a beggar.
19.10.2007
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Twins, The
``Give'' and ``It-shall-be-given-unto-you.''
I.
Grand rough old Martin Luther
Bloomed fables---flowers on furze,
The better the uncouther:
Do roses stick like burrs?
II.
A beggar asked an alms
One day at an abbey-door,
Said Luther; but, seized with qualms,
The abbot replied, ``We're poor!
III.
``Poor, who had plenty once,
``When gifts fell thick as rain:
``But they give us nought, for the nonce,
``And how should we give again?''
IV.
Then the beggar, ``See your sins!
``Of old, unless I err,
``Ye had brothers for inmates, twins,
``Date and Dabitur.
V.
``While Date was in good case
``Dabitur flourished too:
``For Dabitur's lenten face
``No wonder if Date rue.
VI.
``Would ye retrieve the one?
``Try and make plump the other!
``When Date's penance is done,
``Dabitur helps his brother.
VII.
``Only, beware relapse!''
The Abbot hung his head.
This beggar might be perhaps
An angel, Luther said.
poem by Robert Browning
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The Twins
"Give" and "It-shall-be-given-unto-you"
I
Grand rough old Martin Luther
Bloomed fables-flowers on furze,
The better the uncouther:
Do roses stick like burrs?
II
A beggar asked an alms
One day at an abbey-door,
Said Luther; but, seized with qualms,
The abbot replied, "We're poor!"
III
"Poor, who had plenty once,
When gifts fell thick as rain:
But they give us nought, for the nonce,
And now should we give again?"
IV
Then the beggar, "See your sins!
Of old, unless I err,
Ye had brothers for inmates, twins,
Date and Dabitur.
V
"While Date was in good case
Dabitur flourished too:
For Dabitur's lenten face
No wonder if Date rue.
VI
"Would ye retrieve the one?
Try and make plump the other!
When Date's penance is done,
Dabitur helps his brother.
VII
"Only, beware relapse!"
The Abbot hung his head.
This beggar might be perhaps
An angel, Luther said.
poem by Robert Browning from Men and Women (1855)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Upon TheBegger
He wants, he asks, he pleads his poverty,
They within doors do him an alms deny.
He doth repeat and aggravate his grief,
But they repulse him, give him no relief.
He begs, they say, Begone; he will not hear,
But coughs, sighs, and makes signs he still is there;
They disregard him, he repeats his groans;
They still say nay, and he himself bemoans.
They grow more rugged, they call him vagrant;
He cries the shriller, trumpets out his want.
At last, when they perceive he'll take no nay,
An alms they give him without more delay.
Comparison.
This beggar doth resemble them that pray
To God for mercy, and will take no nay,
But wait, and count that all his hard gainsays
Are nothing else but fatherly delays;
Then imitate him, praying souls, and cry:
There's nothing like to importunity.
poem by John Bunyan
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Tree
O, Tree
Give me
Some of
Your beauty.
I'm not as
Beautiful
As thee.
O, Tree
Give me
Some of
Your
Endurance.
I'm not as
Resilient
As thee.
O, Tree
Give me
Some of
Your
Silence.
There's
Not much
Calmness
In me.
O, Tree
Give me
Some of your
Divinity.
I'm not as
Godly as thee.
O, Tree
You are a
Treasure trove
Of wealth
With your
Flowers,
Fruits,
Leaves,
And holy
Spirits.
I'm a beggar
Before you.
Won't you
Give alms
To me?
poem by Aparna Chatterjee
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The Cow (Chapter 2, Verses 271, Holy Koran)
I ask for refuge to Allah from Satan the exiled evildoer.
In the name of Allah the Kind and the Merciful Giver.
If you give alms openly
That's good for you
If you give it secretly to the needy
That's better for you
And some of your sins will be forgiven too
And Allah is aware of whatever you do.
poem by Asif Andalib
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Universal Prayer
Give the people sweet relieve,
We need fresh water, Bread, Flour,
Medicine, Shelter,
Knowledge and Nutrition!
Put down our arms,
hold out our hands,
Deliver Alms to the Poor!
Give us Rain, Rain, OH, Sweet Blessing from the Sky!
OH limitless universal mind!
Pure light of consciousness!
Passing through and beyond all!
Purify our vision!
Enable our eyes to recognize your truth and beauty!
Liberate our senses!
Allow us to sense the Liberating union of all!
Give us the strength of awareness to act
in pure thoughtless mindful generosity!
Wash the world with thoughts of kindness!
May those thoughts sprout and bare your fruit
in every word action and deed!
Give us the courage to live actively by the dormant truth!
Wash away the fear! Wash away the fear!
With thoughts of kindness
bless us with your charitable tears!
Teach us the forgotten art of life and death
so every mind may bloom
a diamond rose corolla with infinite petals
of ever expanding clarity!
poem by Gregory Allen Uhan
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The Gift of Tritemius
Tritemius of Herbipolis, one day,
While kneeling at the altar's foot to pray,
Alone with God, as was his pious choice,
Heard from without a miserable voice,
A sound which seemed of all sad things to tell,
As of a lost soul crying out of hell.
Thereat the Abbot paused; the chain whereby
His thoughts went upward broken by that cry;
And, looking from the casement, saw below
A wretched woman, with gray hair a-flow,
And withered hands held up to him, who cried
For alms as one who might not be denied.
She cried, 'For the dear love of Him who gave
His life for ours, my child from bondage save,-
My beautiful, brave first-born, chained with slaves
In the Moor's galley, where the sun-smit waves
Lap the white walls of Tunis!'-'What I can
I give,' Tritemius said, 'my prayers.'-'O man
Of God!' she cried, for grief had made her bold,
'Mock me not thus; I ask not prayers, but gold.
Words will not serve me, alms alone suffice;
Even while I speak perchance my first-born dies.'
'Woman!' Tritemius answered, 'from our door
None go unfed, hence are we always poor;
A single soldo is our only store.
Thou hast our prayers;-what can we give thee
more?'
'Give me,' she said, 'the silver candlesticks
On either side of the great crucifix.
God well may spare them on His errands sped,
Or He can give you golden ones instead.'
Then spake Tritemius, 'Even as thy word,
Woman, so be it! (Our most gracious Lord,
Who loveth mercy more than sacrifice,
Pardon me if a human soul I prize
Above the gifts upon his altar piled!
Take what thou askest, and redeem thy child.'
But his hand trembled as the holy alms
He placed within the beggar's eager palms;
And as she vanished down the linden shade,
He bowed his head and for forgiveness prayed.
So the day passed, and when the twilight came
He woke to find the chapel all aflame,
And, dumb with grateful wonder, to behold
Upon the altar candlesticks of gold!
poem by John Greenleaf Whittier
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To give alms is nothing unless you give thought also.
quote by John Ruskin
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The poor ones give their alms in a humble way, the rich man throws them down with contempt.
If you disclose your alms, even then it is well done, but if you keep them secret, and give them to the poor, then that is better still for you; and this wipes off from you some of your evil deeds.
If you disclose your alms, even then it is well done, but if you keep them secret, and give them to the poor, then that is better still for you and this wipes off from you some of your evil deeds.
Bible in Poetry: Gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 6)
‘Let righteous deeds be performed then,
Such that the people don’t see them;
For, otherwise, you can’t expect
Reward from your heavenly Father! ’
‘When you give alms, give quietly;
Don’t like hypocrites blow trumpet,
In synagogues and in the streets
To win the praise of all others.’
‘When you give alms, let your left hand
Not know what your right is doing;
Let it be secret alms-giving,
So that, your Father repays you.’
‘Don’t pray like hypocrites who stand
In synagogues and street-corners,
And pray so that others can see.’
‘They have had their reward, ’ I say.
‘Go to your inner room to pray,
And close the door and in secret,
Ask your Father all that you want.
Your Father then will repay you! ’
‘Don’t babble like how pagans do,
Who think their prayers will be heard
Because they have so many words.
Your Father knows before you ask.’
Then, this is how you are to pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth,
As it is in heaven.’
‘Give us today our bread;
Forgive our debts,
As we forgive our debtors;
Don’t bring us to the final test;
Deliver us from evil One! ’
‘Forgive transgressions of others;
Then forgive you, will your Father;
If you don’t forgive your brothers,
Neither will He, you, your Father.’
‘Don’t gloomy be, whenev’r you fast;
Your face shouldn’t show that you’re downcast;
The hypocrites reveal their fast;
Amen, I say, they’ve got reward.
Whenev’r you fast, anoint your head,
And wash your face to appear fresh;
Your Father alone should know it;
He’ll repay in a manner fit.’
‘Don’t store for yourself earth’s treasures,
Where moth-destroyed and decay sets,
And thieves break in to steal them off;
Store up your treasures in heaven,
Where moth or decay don’t destroy,
And thieves don’t break in to steal them.
For, where your treasures tends to lie,
Your heart will tend to stay near-by! ’
‘The eye serves as the body’s lamp;
If eye be sound, body has light;
If eye is bad, body has night;
If body’s light in darkness stays,
How much more darkness, one will face? ’
‘Know that one can’t serve two masters;
He’ll hate the one and love the next,
Or be devoted just to one.’
‘You can’t serve God and too mammon.’
‘Is life not more than food and drink?
Isn’t body more than just clothing? ’
‘Look at the birds of sky so blue;
They neither sow nor do they reap;
They gather nothing into barns;
Yet, your heav’nly Father feeds them! ’
Aren’t you more important than they? ’
‘Can one of you by worrying add
A single moment to life-span?
Why are you anxious of your clothes?
Learn from the flowers wild to grow;
They neither work nor do they spin;
I tell you, not ev’n Solomon
Was in his splendor, clothed alike,
The gorgeous flowers in the wild.’
‘If God so clothes the grass of fields,
Which grow to be thrown in fire,
Will He not provide more for you,
O you, of little faith. have you? ’
‘So, do not worry what to eat?
And do not worry what to drink?
And do not worry what to wear?
All such things, pagans also seek.
Your heav’nly Father knows your need.’
‘So, seek the kingdom of God first,
And seek His righteousness and love;
All things will be given besides.’
‘Do not worry about morrow;
Tomorrow takes care of itself;
Each day has share of own evil! ’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-29-2007
poem by John Celes
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Image Building
I visit temples, hails the scriptures,
Give alms to the poor, put on smiles
And say to the world I love my wife.
This is an image building exercise
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Shit From Dante The Poo-h
Quote of the day:
'Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater.
If you give her
sperm, she'll give you a baby.
If you give her a house,
she'll give you
a home.
If you give her groceries,
she'll give you a meal.
If you give
her a smile, she'll give you her heart.
She multiplies and
enlarges what
is given to her.
So, if you give her any crap,
be ready to receive a ton
of shit.'
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Beggarliness
The cats march on to the backyard
Of my house and leave their kitten,
taking it for a safe haven.
When I come upon a dog
lying beside the walls of the school,
with its pups rolling over it,
I buy biscuits from a shop
and feed them with grace.
When the rats pluck up courage
to hold jamborees in the porch,
I don’t beat them or drive them out
fearing to be infected with rat-fever.
But I put coleslaw for them to eat.
When little lamps jump into my office room,
and let down their balls of dung,
I smile, lift them up and give them
to the girls of lower classes.
When I see beggars lame or blind,
I touch the coins in my pocket
but hesitate to give them;
as most of them tell tales of lies.
They get freebies from the Government
yet their list swells in trains and public places.
Some who run private homes to orphans
send the inmates to beg in streets
But they beg from cinestars and the rich
with a printed receipt book in hand.
The old ones plead starvation
and go on cheating pliable public.
Some ladies and the differently -abled
roam to beg with letters in trains and buses.
Some criminals appeal for alms with appalling faces.
Terrorists too beg from the rich and cinestars
and demand donations without giving receipts.
Fake sages and seers receive funds from abroad
to frustrate the addicts from drugs
and the men and women garbless to meditate in halls.
When the beggars blockmail me
and curse me to have a dog’s life,
how can I purse my lips and refuse alms?
----------
poem by Rajendran Muthiah
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