I SAT IN LODGE WITH YOU

There is a saying filled with cheer,
Which calls a man to fellowship.
It means as much for him to hear
As lies within the brother grip.
Nay, more! It opens wide the way
To friendliness sincere and true;
There are no strangers when you say
To me: “I sat in lodge with you.”

When that is said, then I am known;
There is no questioning nor doubt;
I need not walk my path alone
Nor from my fellows be shut out.
Those words hold all of brotherhood
And help me face the world anew
There’s something deep and rich and good
In this: “I sat in lodge with you.”

Though in far lands one needs must roam
By sea and shore and hill and plain,
Those words bring him a touch of home
And lighten tasks that seem in vain.
Men’s faces are no longer strange
But seem as those he always knew
When some one brings the joyous change
With this: “I sat in lodge with you.”

So you, my brother, now and then
Have often put me in your debt
By showing forth to other men
That you your friends do not forget.
When all the world seems gray and cold
And I am weary, worn and blue
Then comes this golden thought I hold
You said: “I sat in lodge with you.”

When to the last great Lodge you fare
My prayer is that I may be
One of your friends who wait you there
Intent your smiling face to see.
We, with the warden at the gate,
Will have a pleasant task to do;
We’ll call, though you come soon or late:
“Come in! We sat in lodge with you!”