Beaten Path

Afar, o’er yonder sea of sand,

Where sun beats down upon the land,

A well-worn path through arid lay

To mountains dark doth wend its way.

For ages long, the path was trod,

By iron steps of horse steel shod,

And beaten hard, and ‘neath the sun

Baked firm, as onward years did run.

Along the road so bare and dry

The bones of wayward wand’rers lie;

Their feet did fail, their heart grew weak,

And on the way they fell asleep.

O trav’ler weary, lift your head!

No longer lie among the dead,

But press you on, ’til path will lead

To cooler spring ‘neath mountain peak.