A Portuguese prayer
I am the heat of your hearth on the cold, winter nights,
the friendly shade screening you from the summer sun,
and my fruits are refreshing,
quenching your thirst as you journey on.
I am the beam that holds your house,
the board of your table,
the bed on which you lie,
the timber that builds your boat.
I am the handle of your hoe,
the door of your homestead,
the wood of your cradle,
and the shell of your coffin.
I am the bread of kindness
and the floor of beauty.
You who pass by, listen to my prayer:
do me no harm.
the friendly shade screening you from the summer sun,
and my fruits are refreshing,
quenching your thirst as you journey on.
I am the beam that holds your house,
the board of your table,
the bed on which you lie,
the timber that builds your boat.
I am the handle of your hoe,
the door of your homestead,
the wood of your cradle,
and the shell of your coffin.
I am the bread of kindness
and the floor of beauty.
You who pass by, listen to my prayer:
do me no harm.
– Portuguese prayer
