Lowly temple and torii,
Shrine where the spirits of wind and wave
Find the worship and glory we
Give to the one God great and grave —
Lowly temple and torii,
Shrine of the dead, I hang my prayer
Here on your gates — the story see
And answer out of the earth and air.
For I am Nature's child, and you
Were by the children of Nature built.
Ages have on you smiled — and dew
On you for ages has been spilt —
Till you are beautiful as Time
Mossy and mellowing ever makes:
Wrapped as you are in lull — or rhyme
Of sounding drum that sudden breaks.
This is my prayer then, this: that I
Too may reverence all of life,
Lose no power and miss no high
Awe, of a world with wonder rife!
That I may build in spirit fair
Temples and torii on each place
That I have loved — Oh, hear it, Air,
Ocean and Earth, and grant your grace!