“Patriarch,” Ensign, Aug. 1973, inside front cover
Patriarch
What holier work for hands than this?
To link the heavens and the hearts of men;
To be a father for the Father,
Speaking loving words from home
To children waiting for the word.
What sweeter truth for lips than this?
New scripture for the waiting saints:
A Book of Michael, Book of Margaret—
Sacred pages for each soul alone
To search, to study, and to live for.
What better priest for Zion than this?
Who walks among us like Israel’s heir;
Who voices words from outside time
And makes himself the conduit pure
For flowing love and burning light.
What finer name for man than this?
Father to the flock and fold,
In the household of Zion, a sage and a shepherd,
Fostering faith in the faultless plan,
Guiding each wayfarer on to perfection.