O bird so blithe, O bird so blithe,
How firm thy trust abid­eth!
Thou sow­est not, thou reap­est not,
And hoard­ed grain thou heap­est not;
Yet bird so blithe, O bird so blithe,
God for thy wants pro­vid­eth.

O li­ly fair, O li­ly fair,
How sweet thy beau­ty’s sto­ry!
Thou toilest not, thou spin­nest not,
And earth­ly hon­ors win­nest not;
Yet li­ly fair, O li­ly fair,
Thou art ar­rayed in glo­ry.

O child­hood bright, O child­hood bright,
How sweet the joy thou bring­est,
When, trust­ful as the bird in air,
And sim­ple as the li­ly fair,
O child­hood bright, O child­hood bright,
Thy hap­py song thou sing­est!

O bird in air, O bird in air,
Think not of com­ing sor­row,
The Fa­ther dear who lov­eth all,
Doth bear thy wing, doth watch thy fall;
So bird in air, O bird in air,
Still leave to Him the mor­row.

O li­ly frail, O li­ly frail,
How soon thy glo­ry wan­eth!
Up-springing with the morn­ing glow,
At ev­en­ing’s breath thou li­est low;
Yet li­ly frail, O li­ly frail,
Thy frag­rance still re­main­eth.

O child­hood brief, O child­hood brief,
Tho’ swift thy days pass by us,
May thy firm trust, thy sim­ple grace,
Be aye our strength in man­hood’s race;
Then, child­hood brief, O child­hood brief,
Thy joy shall still be nigh us.