May 8, 2013

The pleasure of serving (Gabriela Mistral)

Yesterday i recalled a text from Mistral, i never thought about translating it...
Recalling Brother Arias, of course; and all what scouting means.


The Pleasure of Serving

All of nature is a yearning for service:
The cloud serves, the wind, the furrow.

Where there is a tree to plant, you plant it.
Where there is a mistake to correct, you correct it.

Be the one who removes the rock from the road,
The hate from the hearts,
And the difficulties from the problem.

There is joy in being wise and just,
But above all there is the beautiful,
The immense happiness of serving.

How sad the world would be if everything was already done.
If there was no rosebush to plant,
No enterprise to undertake.

Do not limit yourself to easy tasks.
It's so beautiful to do what others dodge.

But don't fool yourself to the error that only
Great tasks done can be counted as accomplishments.
There are small acts of service that are good:
Sweep the floor of the house,
Throw the trash away,
Setting the table,
Putting some books in order,
Serving is not a labor for slaves.

God, who is almighty, serves and teaches to serve.
To serve the poor, the kid, the ill, the weak, the elder, all the ones with needs...
is to serve God.


:)