A Lamp in the Darkness (Poem by Shantideva)

A Lamp in the Darkness

May I be a guard
for those who
need protection,
a guide for
those on the path,
a boat, a raft, a bridge
for those who wish
to cross the flood.

May I be a lamp
in the darkness,
a resting place
for the weary,
a healing medicine
for all who are sick,
a vase of plenty,
a tree of miracles.

And for the boundless
multitudes of living
beings, may I bring
sustenance and awakening,
enduring like
the earth and sky,
until all beings are
freed from sorrow,
and all are awakened.

by Shantideva