A Child of Royal Birth

The first stanza of this poem I memorized when I was very young. It continues to be a favorite. Many times when I have felt lonely, sad, frustrated, etc, I have said it over to myself. It helps me remember who I am, and how much I am loved. When I remember it is easier to feel happier, or behave better. More recently I found out there was more to the poem.

A Child of Royal Birth
by Anna Johnson

I am a child of royal birth;
My Father is king of heaven and earth.
My spirit was born in the courts on high.
A child beloved, a princess am I.

I was nurtured there; I lived by His side
In a home where patience and love abide.
My Mother was there in that glorious place,
Blessing her children with queenly grace.

I grew to the stature that spirits grow;
I gained the knowledge I needed to know.
I was taught the truth and I knew the plan
That God and Christ laid out for man.

I was there when the stars of the morning sang.
My voice was heard when the heavens rang.
I was there to rejoice, to praise, and applaud
And I shouted for joy with the sons of God.

I waited my turn to came to earth.
Through the wonderful channel of human birth.
The curtains were closed and the past was gone.
On the future too, the curtains were drawn.

I came to earth and God willed it so-
With freedom to choose the path I should go.
I must search for the truth; I must serve and obey.
I must walk by faith or fall by the way.

Someday, I will go back; I will answer the call.
I'll return with my record to the Father of all.
The books will be opened and so will my heart,
And there will be rejoicing if I've done my part.

My Father the King with his infinite love
Will welcome me back to the mansions above.
The curtains will part, and eternity
In its light and glory will open to me.

Since I was a little girl, I have thought of myself as a princess. (I usually felt that my clothes were not quite right, but I often embellished them in my mind.) There is a poem that I loved, called "I am a Child of Royal Birth" My favorite hymn was "Rejoice the Lord is King". My favorite stories were all Princess tales. When I first read "A Little Princess" by Francis Hodgeson Burnett, I couldn't put it down. I loved Sarah, who decided to be a princess inside her heart even when her surroundings were harsh and cruel and miserable. I vowed that I would be a princess in my heart; and later, when I had difficult times, I remembered. I would think of Sarah, and say my poem and sing my song, and remember that I am truly a princess.