SONGS FOR SINNERS SONGS FOR SINNERS BY THE REVEREND HUGH FRANCIS BLUNT "For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God." St. Paul to the Romans: III, 23. NEW YORK THE DEVIN-ADAIR COMPANY 1912 Copyright, 1912, by THK DEVIN-ADAIB COMPANY TO THE MEMORY OF THE REVEREND EDWARD MICHAEL RAFTER (1878-1912) <-. >v - O/CiO/ * O CONTENTS PAGE COMPANIONSHIP 3 WINTER BIECHES . . . . 5 A DRAUGHT .......... 6 IN CHAINS ........... 8 A DIRGE .18 INVOCATION .......... 20 I LOOK TO THEE 23 FALL DAYS .25 ALL OF IT . . . . . ..... . 27 WHAT NO MAN KNOWETH . ,. . . . 28 THE CONDEMNED SOUL . . . . ; . . 29 THE DESERT OF THE SOUL . . . . . 35 THE MARKET-PLACE 36 THE WAY OF THE CROSS: i. CONDEMNATION . 38 ii. THE BURDEN OF THE CROSS 40 in. THE FIRST FALL 41 rv. MOTHER AND SON 42 PAGE v. THE HELP OP SIMON 44 vi. VERONICA 45 vn. THE SECOND FALL . 46 vui. CONSOLATION 48 ix. THE THIRD FALL 49 x. THE STRIPPING 50 xi. THE CRUCIFIXION 51 xii. DEATH 52 XHI. THE DESCENT 53 xrv. IN THE TOMB 54 ECCE HOMO . 56 THE WONDER 60 THE DAWN 61 IDEALS 62 THE PATHWAY 64 THE PEODIGAL SOUL 67 THE LIGHT 71 IN PEACE 73 AN OFFERING 75 A HEALTH 78 BLOOD BROTHERHOOD 79 WHEN DEATH COMES 81 A PRAYER 84 FOR LOVE 85 PAGE EOYAL GIFTS 86 GOD S BEST 88 OUE LADY S TEEES 90 MY GOD , . . . . . 91 FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, AND PEACE ... 92 THE EPIPHANY 94 OUE LADY S CANDLEMAS HYMN ... 96 OUE LADY OF THE FLOWEES .... 98 THE KING S HIGHWAY 100 TO MAEY 102 OUE LADYE OF THE EOSAEY 103 OUE LADY S TEOUBADOUE 105 THE HELPEE 107 THE VISION OF THE CEOSS 108 THE MOTHEE S QUEST 110 SAINT JOSEPH IN EGYPT . . . . . . 113 THE THEEE HOME-COMINGS 116 THE WASTE PLACES . . . . . . .118 THE EIVEE OF TEAES 120 UNTEAMMELLED 122 THE POPLAES 125 LOVE S COMING . 126 PAGE LOVE WATCHETH . 128 TO A WHITE VIOLET 130 WHEEE WATERS MEET ...... 131 CHANGELESS 132 AT DAWN 135 LOVE 141 AN ALLELUIA 142 DISSOLUTION 144 GOD S WORLD 146 THE DIRT . 147 SONGS FOR SINNERS COMPANIONSHIP drear, cold wind, fierce, bold wind, Whistling shrill Up the hill, Through the pines, Never still. lone, sad wind, poor, mad wind, Now with moan, Now with groan, Always sad, Always lone. L3: cold, drear wind, Yet sweet, dear wind, Spirit s pain Craves thy strain ; We are friends, Grieving twain. WINTER BIECHES Birchen branches, ghostly white, Silent sentinels of night, Risen from the winding-sheet Of the snows about your feet, Are ye Summer, buried here, Bleached bones of yester-year? Birchen branches, ghostly white, Ye remind me this to-night : From my heart, the joys entombed (Ages long ago they bloomed) Dangling rise unto my gaze- Skeletons of parted days. A DRAUGHT Drink deep !" a goblet bright A nymph placed in my hand ; At thy command Sweet pleasure lingers in this cup of light. Drink deep, sweet wine of joy is here, And happy cheer. And lo, I drank it, for the liquid rolled So tempting fair, All joy seemed there Within the cup of purest, finest gold. C63 And then I cursed the lips that false hood told, And I did hear Her taunt of laugh and sneer, ; Trust not the draught because the cup is gold." Here on the ground I lie, among the leaves, The stray- tost leaves of early summer time, World-weary leaves of latest autumn- tide; Among the child-eyed daisies, dropt from Heaven For comforting and bringing peace to men. I gaze about upon the waving grass, Ridged by the furrowing of summer breeze, And topped with daisies, shining as the foam Tossed lightly by the wavings of the sea. Above, below, how full of peace serene ; Yon sky as blue as bluest e er could be With screeny clouds that glint against the blue, The glittering foam of that broad, bluest sea. How all is peace ! The very birds sing peace : Peace from the robin, from the partridge drum, And e en the hawk doth seem to tell of peace. These all at peace, the echoes answer peace, And to mine ear, pressed close to earth s own voice, [9] The buried strata whispering ages long Tell to the bubbling springs the song of peace. And all is peace, and all is sweetest peace. These all have peace, and sing their hymn of peace From Fiat days till now thro million years : But man, wee mortal of an infant s days, Stands at the brink of life s steep precipice, The scarped and jagged cliff of barren days, The forward road choked with the slash ing briars And gnarled trunks of lightning- shivered trees That stood once cedars of the Lebanon, CIO 3 And lonely gorge of fetid, sulphurous streams, The shattered past, the barren days to come. Peace and is man the noblest work of God, Is man the fruit of counseling Divine, The crown of nature made to image God? Is he the master of creation s wealth, And must he know no sentiment of peace Which e en his low-born, brute-souled subjects know? The rocks know peace, the flowers need blow in peace, The sea-gull wins the blue sky s smiling peace, The serpent hissing in the rocky den Has peace as well as softly cooing dove. The morning s light is mirror of the peace, And hilltops sigh night s lullaby of peace. But man oh, tell me not that kingly man Is more than these, that his is better lot Than free-born eagle s soaring to the clouds And skimming dews from off their mystic flowers ; Than purple violet, or blade of grass : These all have peace, but man is all of war. Where is the right, the justice of it all? For I am crushed to earth, not e en to reach The flight of eagle with my keenest eye, mi Yet sages say that these are weakling "things" And all below the powers of mine own soul. What sayest thou, my soul, so reft of peace? What power of ill hath bound thee in its chains ? For sure thou wert not always so dis tressed, So cast to earth, to be with envy filled Of e en the lowest husks of nature s wealth : Thou who wert made in likeness of a God, And filled with rapture of His endless peace, And joyousness and ever-blessedness, Thou must have felt some clash of foe- men s arms, Bebellion s cruelties and deep dis grace : Some fault, my soul, of thine own inner self, Some fall from righteousness in distant years, Some bending to the Godhead s enemy, Some casting of the greatest boon away ; Else why shouldst thou be filled with movements wild, With jarring pangs, with lurings to despair, When lowly daisy nods so peacefully, And wheeling sea-gull moves so peace fully, And skylark soars to Heaven so peace fully. My soul, thou canst not hide thy deep disgrace, Canst not complain, for thou art all to blame ; In this thou hast thy sad epitome- Unfaithfulness is never kin to peace. Is there no hope, no hope of peace re gained? Behold the robin sings, " Rejoice with me." The pine-trees hum, "Rejoice, rejoice with me. The skylark flits above, and sings * Arise, Thy wings are fairer, stronger than mine own. Behold, my soul, how calm and sweet the air; C153 The summer s incense burns on glowing sun, The sweetness of repose, of calmest peace, Hath filled the crannies of the gladdened earth. Come, soul, let not thy voice be all alone, Carping in discontent while birds sing peace ; Let not thy heart be foul with stench of hate, When nature s breath is lavished on the breeze. Come, come, He calls ; cast off the bind ing chain. The spell of discontent, envenomed sin Lies on thine heart ; oh, crush it, cast it off. The chorus hath begun, Creation s voice [16;] Awaits thy voice to swell its gladsome tune. Arise, thy chains have dropped; soar high and sing Of sweetest peace, the peace of Christ the King. A DIRGE Weep for the days that are gone, my spirit, Weep for the years all dead ; Weep for thy heart and the sins that sere it, Weep for the tears unshed. Weep for the yellowing harvest blighted, Weep for the crushed seed, Weep for the vowings to evil plighted, Weep, for thy wounds still bleed. Weep for the works that were unavailing, Deeds that were done in death ; [IS] Weep for the strength from thy spirit failing, Weep for its wasted breath. Weep for the past and its fruitless seeming, Weep for its bold deceit ; Weep for the chase after lure-lights gleaming, Weep for the sad defeat. Weep, for the tears of a true repentance Nourish the fallow earth ; Weep, and thy tears will avert sad sentence, Giving thy true self birth. INVOCATION Lord Christ, come back ; without Thee I am lone, Consuming grief eats to mine inmost soul; The song of life hath ended in a drone, The joys of life have turned to endless dole. Lord Christ, had I but known the misery That follows them who choose to wor ship wrong; Had I but known the sorrowing to be When evil ways had run their courses long! Lord Christ, they told me Thou wert but a fool ; I said them nay, yet I did treat Thee so, And had no care for Thine eternal rule, But reckless walked where er I wished to go. Lord Christ, ah, I have cursed the fatal day When first the course of wrong I did begin; Have cursed the folly of my reckless way, When first I learned to like the joy of sin. Lord Christ, t was vain ; alas, I know it now; I knew it then, but made it seem as fair : Too late I woke ; the thorns have pierced Thy brow, And blood is gathered in Thy matted hair. Lord Christ, I know Thou now art doubly dear, Now when I dread to lose Thy helping hand; Thou now art beautiful, when I do fear That I have sacrificed my Promised Land. Lord Christ, come back ; ah, let me start anew. Here in the dust I kneel me at Thy feet ; Do Thou but say, My child, I pardon you, And life again with Love will be replete. [22] I LOOK TO THEE I look to Thee as after weary years, Years of a revel in the haunts of crime, When all the joys are gone, and only tears Remain of that old unreflecting time. I look to Thee they said Thou wert a God Of unrelenting justice, full of ire, To bend my will beneath the weighty rod, And on my body heap the glutting fire. 23 3 I look to Thee there is no anger there, No wrath upon Thy thorn-berimmed face; The look of pity only dost Thou wear, The look of longing to pour forth Thy grace. I look to Thee Thy wounded hands and feet. Thy battered face, Thy tear-bedimmed eyes Have naught in them but pity, soothing sweet, And eagerness of One who gladly dies. I look to Thee ah, dear one, crucified, I look to Thee for help and pity kind ; I come to Thee ah, let me here abide, In Thee alone my comfort will I find. FALL DAYS When the dead leaves litter the faded grass, And the moaning winds go sweeping by, Ah, the winter of life is come to pass, And the lilt of spring is become a sigh. And the vain life, ah, in the flitting leaf And the faded grass is it imaged well ; For the laugh of the passions ends in grief, And the end of their sins is a dirge in Hell. C25] my heart, when the dead leaves pile thy grave, And the fall winds echo thy burial song, Will thy soul, like the grass, be the fierce wind s slave, And tossed like the leaves in a demon throng? C26] ALL OF IT One day of life, One soul to save, One weary strife, One wayside grave. One solemn knell, One trampled sod, One way to Hell, One way to God. WHAT NO MAN KNOWETH When I am lying cold and dead, With waxen tapers at my head, The night before my Mass is said : And friends that never saw my soul Sit by my catafalque to dole, And all my life s good deeds unroll : Jesu, Jesu, will it be That Thou wilt turn away from me ? C28] THE CONDEMNED SOUL And must I go, O Savior, loving one, To depths of endless woe Where all is timeless flow Of misery just begun? And will I see no more Thy sweet and loving face, And will I hear Thy voice no more Within this holy place? Thou canst not bid me hence ! Jesu, let me stay, See how my soul-depths pray To be with Thee for aye, [29: Thyself, God, sole recompense. fool that I have been To riot wild in sin Thinking the pleasure sweet; fool, fool so blind To trust in humankind Deceiving me complete, When He was near to guide, God lingering at my side That I might turn and see His kind eyes calling me ; But calling me in vain, He there, and I, we twain, And I alone averse to reconcile My vagrant heart with His forgiving smile. damned self, damned world, damned woe to which I m hurled ! Why saw ye not my doom, Why cried ye not, "Beware, Of Sin take care," Ere I had reached the tomb ? But no, thou envious Hell, Ye weavers of Sin s spell, Alone ye would not dwell, But came to grapple me, Me, me, so happy, free To fight and conquer well. But woe, alas, alas, I saw Good Pleasure s train Soft-eyed as daisies in the grass Alluring me to come and with it dwell ; And I did go, though Conscience called in vain There was the place of Hell. And now condemned I stand, Crushed by Thy hand, 313 That made me out of naught ; To live and rot, To rot and live Never to be forgot ; Lord, Thou wilt not forget; Lord, Thou wilt not forgive. An endless dole of pain, An endless dole of grief, An endless death refrain, And no relief. Ah, vain life, vain, Eternity of pain, Eternity of woe ! And I must cry the cries insane With demon hordes below ; loving Jesus, must I go, When Thou canst save me from the awful woe? Oh, to be here, Where Thou art near ! Jesus, hark to me, And I will gladly live In torments Thou wilt give, Just to be near Thy voice to hear, God, to be with Thee! No pity now, no pity, Thou dost say? earth, time, why passed away ! One moment of thy lot, And penance would be wrought Of which the greatest saints know naught ! And must I go To Hell below? damning Christ, I hate Thy smiling, kindly face That sealeth thus my fate ; 1 hate Thee in Thy Heavenly place. 1 hate Thy bosom of eternal rest, C33] I hate you, scorn you, spirits blest. gaping Hell, Why hated I not thee so well ! Eternity ! He said ; And I am dead, And Hell my only bed. Christ, where art Thou fled? 1 cannot see Thee more ; Too late, too late, He said, Thou shouldst have wept before. 1 curse Thee, Lord, I curse Thy word, That drave me from my goal ; I curse thee, thee my guilty soul, That sought this place of dole. murdering sin, sin, Could I again begin, Alas, what might have been ! THE DESEET OF THE SOUL A thousand strangers on the thorough fare: To none of them a greeting dare I tell. My soul, though all the world were gathered there, What yet would be the loneliness of Hell? C35] THE MARKET-PLACE Lord, I have a soul to sell, Many buyers sue ; Night and day they guard it well, Lord, what will I do f Some have offered me their gold, Gold has mighty power : Oh, how many lives were sold For its yellow shower ! Some have offered me their bays, Wreaths of pleasant fame, Years of mankind s fulsome praise Singing for my name. C36] Some have offered pleasures sweet, Sating of the flesh ; Loves of earth with lust replete Lure me to their mesh. Lord, I have a soul to sell, Many buyers sue ; Night and day I fight their spell, Lord, what can I do ? Thou wilt buy this soul of mine T Sin-stained soul of earth? Thou wouldst buy my soul as thine? Lord, t is nothing worth. Thou wilt give Thyself for me, Flesh and blood of Christ ! Lord, that I might worthy be, At Thy heart s love priced ! [37] THE WAY OF THE CEOSS "Surely He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows ; and we have thought Him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted." Isaias : LHI, 4. "As a sheep to the slaughter." Isaias: LIH, 5. I CONDEMNATION As criminal He stands, condemned to die, A trembling God before the mighty throng ; And Pilate seeks to wash away the wrong, While myriad voices shriek, " Yea, crucify ! C38] Yea, crucify and kill ! the Master s sigh Breathes forth in love against the hatred strong That surges up, and hurries Him along To sate its fury : and no help is nigh ! Christ, Thou seest now the sinful weight That hath no one to bear it only Thee The anguish of it all, the ponderous freight Of thought and deed begetting misery. Have pity, God, and let Thy doom to death Save us from doom when sighs our dying breath. C39] II THE BURDEN OF THE CROSS Agony and disgrace Are hungry for their food ; And the cross seeks resting-place On shoulders drenched with blood. The misery of it all ! The crime of the first great Fall, The sin of the world since then, The evil beyond all ken Have now the right to fall On a God Who was denied : Oh, the misery of it all A God and His will defied ! [40] Dear Master, make us weep For Mankind s sin. Near Thee, oh, let us keep ; New life begin. Ill THE FIRST FALL Man fell from highest state, Fell burdened with his crime, Fell to the bitterest fate, Fell till the end of time. A pitying Son doth speak, And beggeth for mercy sweet ; He falleth to earth to redeem the weak, He, innocent, merciful, Jesus meek. Cease, wicked people. T is God ye beat! Jesus, by Thy fall, This fall on the way to die, Keep us from Satan s thrall, Stand Thou in pity by, When we go forth to die. IV MOTHEE AND SON The Mother stands : she peers adown the street : Whom doth her piercing eye so eager seek? She trembleth now, her tottering step is weak : Whom doth she seek? Whom doth she yearn to greet ? C423 Ah, doomed Jesus, t is Thy bloody feet That she doth see, Thy blood-bedewed cheek, Thy brow where thorns a cruel vengeance wreak; Alas, what misery ! and thus they meet. O Son and Mother, these are bitter woes That ye have suffered in this loving deed; Ye felt the scourging and the bitter throes, Ye felt the agony of hearts that bleed. Oh, pity, mercy, show to my poor heart, And grant that we shall meet, no more to part. V THE HELP OF SIMON Who would not love to wear The crown which Jesus wears? Who would not love to bear The cross which Jesus bears? But see, He a weak and worn, He trudgeth slowly on, A criminal forlorn, Our Savior, weak and wan. Ah, woe, will none assist The Christ with His crushing weight? To His laboring sighs they list, But they leave Him to His fate. "He 11 die beneath the load," They cry, Bid some one here To help Him on the road Till Calvary is near. Simon, Heavenly blest To carry the Master s cross; Thou who art Jesu s honored guest Bid Him to give us holy rest, And save us from endless loss. VI VERONICA Woman, who bravest the angry foe, To comfort thy Savior in His woe, And soothe Him as deathward He doth go, Thou art well blest ! Woman, who standest in that dear place Where floweth the flood of the Master s grace, Who touchest the blood of His own sweet face, Thou art well blest ! True image of Thyself, Christ, Paint on my heart. No other treasure let me ask Than in Thy face s light to bask, And never wish to part. He falls again ; The crushing pain Speeds, eager, through His frame : 46] The taunt and jeer, The guilty sneer, Once more their Victim claim. But He struggles again to rise, His hour is not yet here. Blood and dust in His eyes, And He answers the murderers cries He rises ; Death, come near ! So rise, my soul that fell E en to. the brink of Hell; So rise that fell before, So rise to fall no more. VIII CONSOLATION ! Weep not for Me ! Ah, pitying, pity ing God. "Weep not for Me, for selves and children weep ! Consoling Christ, Who lifts no ven geance rod, But wells sweet pity from His God- heart deep. Oh, pitying, pitying God, Console us now who cry, Who yearn to have Thee nigh, The while we moan and sigh, pitying, pitying God. [483 IX THE THIRD FALL Yet once again He falls to earth, Weak nature bends beneath the load ; The gentle face, besprent with blood, Doth kiss again the dusty road. He knew t would be, and yet He came To bear the misery of life ; He knew t would be, yet shrank He not From battling in the awful strife. Master dear, Ungrateful we Let fall no tear To dole with Thee. Lift us from earth Whereon we lie ; Give us new birth Before we die. X THE STRIPPING Behold Him now, His garments gone, The shrieking mobs, upon Him surge : The shame, the misery of it all T is only God can purge. Meek Lamb of virgin purity, He hath the blushing shame to bear ; The countless deeds of wickedness Are laid upon Him there. C50] Oh, sin can have no wage but death, But death and its companion woe ; How gladly hath He paid the price Because He loved us so. O Sin, veil now thy shameful face Before the Fountainhead of Grace, For thou hast lost thy kingly place. XI THE CRUCIFIXION List to the singing blows Of the hammer upon the nail As it burns a way through the tensioned hands That never a moment quail. Gaze on the carmine flood Deluging hands and feet, Fountain of Love on the Calvary Hill ; Soon is the deed complete. merciful Jesus Christ, Art Thou, Omnipotent King, To suffer the hate of the vilest men Who at Thee insult fling? XII DEATH The head is bowed upon the breast, The wearied brain hath found its rest, The Sun of Right sinks in the west, The deed is done. The limbs are cold, the breeze sweeps by, The voice is hushed, gone every sigh, The light is faded from His eye, The deed is done. Fall, darkness, fall, and hide the deed ! The deed is done. Sin slinks away with sated greed ; The deed is done. XIII THE DESCENT Sleep in the arms of Thy Mother now, Dead Jesus 1 Falling Her kisses upon Thy brow, Dead Jesus ! But the days of the Bethlehem town are dead, And the heart of the Mother is bitter bled While Her hands are caressing a thorn- crowned head, Dead Jesus ! Press Him, Mother, unto Thy heart, Pierced with the sword of grief ; Whisper a prayer for Thine other sons, Lead Him to our relief. XIV IN THE TOMB Gently and peacefully Lay Him to rest, Deep in the heart Of the rock well blest. Lay Him to sleep, Over Him weep ; Angels will keep Vigil for Him. Fasten the tomb, Deep in the gloom ; Lo, t is the doom, Death, sin and death. With Him our tears, With Him our sighs ; With Him we die, With Him we rise, Christ Jesus ! C55H ECCE HOMO Behold the man ! And Pilate led Him forth, The weak and trembling Christ before the mob, To beg for pity from that herd accursed That shouted, * Crucify ! Barabbas first! This is not Christ. God s throne He seeks to rob ! Behold the man ! Not sating craven hearts 563 That seek the crown and scorn the heavy cross, T is not on Him they fawn, He has no throne ; They want a king, this Jesus they disown ; Their earthy eyes see not but earthy dross. Behold the man! Gaze on His battered face, With soldiers spittle and with blood besmeared ; Look on that brow where thorns run riot wild, The quivering lips with brutal blow defiled ; Is this the man whom kingly rulers feared? [57: Behold the man ! The griefs of endless years Well to those eyes and trickle down each cheek ; The view of mankind s sin is fixed there ; The burning, burning view, the aching care All now on Him their crushing ven geance wreak. Behold the man 1 And Pilate led Him back, Ambitious Pilate, slave of Mammon s throne ; Not friend of truth, but one of Caesar s friends ; Innocent of blood" the trial ends; And to the mob the Christ is given- alone. C58] Behold the man ! Ah, men once more will see The kingly face, which now they view with hate, Not bloody then, but glowing, dazzling bright, Not crown of thorns but of eternal light, And lips that quivered once will say " Too late !" [59;] THE WONDEB The wonder of it, not that He hath died, From clanking chains to set my spirit free: Infinite Love ! what else would He beside? The wonder of it He created me. THE DAWN Dark, all dark without, And blacker still within ; The world all light-bereft, And I enwrapt in sin. But lo, the dawn Comes conquering over night; Thou, too, shine forth, my soul, And shew thy light. C61] IDEALS We grovel low ; the fountain spring of youth Is turbid with the lust of life ; The light has failed, faint flushing thro the fog, And thus we lie as cumbrous as the log, Fond hopes far vanished with the luckless strife That saw our fall when fell our heart from Truth. We grovel low ; is this, my soul, the end? With vacant eyes and senseless heart, [623 With careworn feet that cannot, dare not wend Their way to quiet in some better part: With leprous hands one mass of itching smart, With powerless tongues : Death, thy mercy send! We grovel low : No longer, my soul ! The spring, renewed in freshness, bubbles bright, The light fails not, all-radiant gleams the goal, The goal of Hope beneath Faith s quenchless light. THE PATHWAY I walked along the lane of God, The lane they call it life, And every place my footsteps trod I sowed the seed of strife. It was not strife with things and man That world I loved too well T was strife with God my soul began ; I laughed at death and Hell. I walked along the lane of God ; I knew not I was blind, Till on my soul He laid His rod, My Savior, sweet and kind. "Oh, turn thee back, thou soul, and see The harvest thou hast borne ; A dreary road thou madest Me Of ugly briar and thorn." I walked along the lane of God, And God came walking, too ; With heavy cross I heard Him plod; The thorns were piercing through. 1 Oh, wherefore, Lord, dost walk this way? Oh, seek an easier lane." "Thy road is Mine," I heard Him say, "Thou sowest all My pain." I walked along the lane of God, And God was at my side ; I bore with Him the Holy Rod Where He hangs crucified. I bent to gather up the thorns I sowed in evil years ; The crown of them His brow adorns - I saw them through my tears. 663 THE PRODIGAL SOUL Didst call, my Lord? I heard Thee call, I of the deadened ear ; Thy voice as dripping waters fall From off the river s weir. I heard, my Lord, as hears at night The under-songs of streams Who rests him neath the quiet light, And speaks no tongue but dreams. And thus I heard, when tired day (And tired day is life) Had left the road a little way, The road of dust and strife. Mayhap I heard Thee at the morn ; But morn has many a voice Wood-calls, and sea, and strident horn Of marts where men rejoice. Ah, dead mine ear, for that I craved To feel why men were glad ; And, truant child, I heedless braved Thy wrath : but youth is mad ! Could be that Thou wert calling then, When seemed I happiest, The days I joyed with souls of men, And felt their life the best? Came joys to me, full-throated joys; Or was it but a dream, A sleep, where I could hear no voice Save of the things that seem? [68] I lived, but now I know I died ; For Death can be Life s mime. No marvel, when Thy voice had cried, I heard but sleep s dream-rhyme. Didst wake me, Lord ? somehow I heard ; I felt no spittle-sign, No soft Ephpheta s opening word, Thy lips close unto mine. Somehow I heard, as one at eve May hear the forest-bird, And wonders did the morning weave Such spells yet all unheard. Didst call, my Lord ? Yea, Lord, I know Thou hast been calling me, O er hills of spring, o er drifts of snow, Till I had answered Thee. [69] I heard Thee, Lord, as eager hears The saddened, truant lad The voice of her who seeks in tears Lord, are they not both glad? Thou callest, Lord ; I hear Thee well, I of the opened ear. My soul, a wakened Samuel, Cries out : Speak, Lord, I hear. THE LIGHT Light that is presage of Heaven Mounting over the hill, Glinting the feathery vapors, Silvering chattering rill ; Light that is presage of Heaven Cometh so soft and still. Light that is presage of Heaven Flooding the rounded sky, Glowing with fullest ardor, Looking so low, so high ; Light that is presage of Heaven Answereth Dark s lone cry. Light that is presage of Heaven Creeping below the line, Smiling on lonesome earthdom, Kissing the moaning brine ; Light that is presage of Heaven Be to my soul God s Sign. C723 IN PEACE Peace, as the groves have peace "When throbs of the daytime cease, And the moonbeams creep Where the wee birds sleep, And into the lair of the squirrels peep, Murmuring peace, sweet peace. Peace, which the waters know, Hushed their noisy flow, When the gray moonlight And the starshine bright Still all the fears of the gruesome night, Murmuring peace, sweet peace. C73] Peace, fairer far than this, Cover us with its bliss ; And the evening star From the land afar Will guide us to haven across the bar, Murmuring peace, God s peace. C74] AN OFFERING Only a broken vessel, Lord, I offer Thee to-day, A lowly, broken vessel, Lord, Made out of sinful clay. T was fashioned once of fairest form, A goodly, holy sight, When Thy kind hand had moulded it, And blessed it with Thy light. *T was meant to be for Thee alone, Thy gifts alone to hold ; Oh, it was shining, dazzling bright, Like lustrous beaten gold. Ah, had I ever kept it so, A treasure for Thy grace, It would not be so worthless now Before Thy holy face. And I with earth s delusive gifts Did fill this vessel fair ; Alas, they were a foulsome weight The vessel could not bear. Behold, Lord, how many a scar, How many a deadly seam ; Where once was all so glorious, Where Heavenly light did gleam. I shudder, Lord, wilt Thou accept Such lowly gift as this ? Unlovely vessel fouled by sin, Yet yearning now for bliss. L76] Ah, Lord, I needs must cry despair, Didst Thou not speak to me ; A broken heart, repaired in grief, Will be received by Thee! So, Lord, this broken vase is Thine ; Come with Thy grace to fill ; And may it ever near Thy heart Love s perfume sweet distil. [77] A HEALTH Health, to Thee, Christ! I drink the health of my King : Health to the Man that has priced My soul at His suffering. Health to Thee, Friend ! I drink my goblet of pain : No cup where the red drops blend In the flow of the grape-vine s rain. Health to Thee, Christ ! I drink, Thy brother and priest ; blessed our altar-tryst, Where I on Thy blood may feast ! BLOOD BROTHERHOOD Lord, make a brotherhood with me, For God is Thy Sire and mine ; By bond of love we will brothers be, And our blood will be the sign. Lord, make a brotherhood of blood ; And here is the cup of gold. Under Thy wounds of the carmine flood The goblet of love I hold. Oh, hot Thy blood, my Brother Christ, As into the cup it drips ; "What draught of life for our loving tryst That lureth my parched lips ! Lord, make a brotherhood with me, And fasten my soul to Thine. I .have drunk Thy blood of fraternity. Wilt Thou ease Thy throat with mine? WHEN DEATH COMES If I could have my will, I would not calmly die, Lying so cold and still, With loved ones kneeling by. I would not fall to sleep, While chaplet-croons were said, And tender eyes did weep That I would soon be dead. If I could have my way, I would not calmly die ; E en though God s Mother lay In peace as death came nigh. If I could have my will, I d go in blood and sweat, While out my blood did spill From sword or bayonet. I d go with lopped hands, With lopped feet as well, While all the earth s dull sands Were reddened where I fell. I d go as went my Chief : Lord, am I not a Christ? Nor would I crave relief Till I had all sufficed. I d go as Peter went, Head-down upon the tree ; I d spend as Paul him spent Till sword-cut set him free. C82] If I could have my will, I d prove my loyalty By pouring blood until My Lord had said : " Let be ! " leper soul of mine, No other boon canst crave But in the dust to pine, Far from the martyrs brave. If I could have my way But, Lord, be Thy way mine. Me as a coward slay, If I may be but Thine. 831] A PRAYER Could pain make all things right, Ease me of sin, and so restore My darkened soul unto Thy light, Send pain, Lord, and bruise me sore. Could death make all things right, Pay for the days of wasted life, And make my soul a pleasing sight, With death, Lord, I d make no strife. Could love make all things right, Wash white my scarlet robe of sin Love, whose love is infinite, Give me the love Thy love to win. C84H FOR LOVE No task is menial which our Master sends, If love suffuse it with its Heavenly light; He washed the feet of them, His lowly friends A common task, by love made holy rite. EOYAL GIFTS Came a prince from regions far Guided by the wondrous star : Wherefore, Prince, this gift of gold Which thou lettest Jesu hold? Of thy gold He needs no part, For He owns Her golden heart. Came a prince with incense rare As a breath of Eden s air: Wherefore, Prince, this goodly scent O er His little crib besprent? Needs He not thy choice perfume, While the Sharon Eose doth bloom. [86] Came a prince with gift of myrrh (Prophet of His sepulchre) : Wherefore, Prince, the unction sweet At the little Jesu s feet? Arab s balm He will not miss While He feels His Mother s kiss. C-87] GOD S BEST "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests ; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." St. Luke: ix, 58. foxes sheltered from the wold, How can ye rest abed, While little Jesus is so cold, No place to lay His head? O birds that build your downy nest, How can ye be so gay, When not a place hath Mary blest Her little Bird to lay? Jesu, seek not foxes lair, Nor crave the wee birds nest : Oh, make my heart a dwelling fair, And in it take Thy rest. [89] OUR LADY S TREES What saw our Lady in the tree, The thorny tree? Oh, what but spines all long and red To crown Her little Jesu s head! What saw our Lady in the tree, The aspen tree f Oh, what but rods to make the flail Would make Her Jesu s body quail! What saw our Lady in the tree, The cedar- tree? Oh, what but beams to weigh Her loss Her Jesu s body on the cross ! MY GOD Mighty God they name Thee, God Omnipotent ; Euler they acclaim Thee Of the world s extent ; Yea, but I, a lowly clod, Call Thee this-My God. King of Heaven they bless Thee, King eternally ; God they do confess Thee Of infinity ; Yea, but I, the lowliest clod, Call Thee ihis-My God. FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, AND PEACE My Lord, I will not grieve How faith on earth is dead ; What mysteries Thy priests believe Who break their Daily Bread ! My Lord, I will not moan How black is earth s despair ; For I have heard the sinner groan In penitential prayer. My Lord, I will not dole How love is gone away ; I saw it in a maiden s soul Her First-Communion Day. C92] My Lord, I will not sigh How war is everywhere ; I saw an Irish granny die Lord, what peace was there ! C93] THE EPIPHANY If I were a king this festal day, In a regal palace I would not stay, I would ease my coffers of yellow gold, Enough for my royal train to hold ; Oh, gold and sceptre and crown I d bring As a gift of love to the baby King. If I were a king of Orient, From the rarest trees I would take their scent, I would make me the fairest golden urn, And there would I let mine incense burn : [94] blessed my royal hands to swing The perfumed clouds for the little King. If I were a king this holy morn, My brow with a crown I d not adorn ; But with bared feet and with bared head 1 d lay the myrrh at His manger-bed. Oh, vials of odorous myrrh I d bring, For unction sweet of my Savior-King. If I were a king in truth am I But the lowliest vassal beneath the sky ; No treasure I have, no frankincense, Nor the smell of the myrrhed cerements ; Oh, naught can I give but the poorest thing, - My heart and its love, loving King. OUR LADY S CANDLEMAS HYMN Open Thine eyes, my Jesu sweet, The doves are cooing above the street, Thy white little brothers, the lambkins, bleat, And the sun is waiting Thy smile to greet. Up, little one, from the manger s hay sacred crib where my Sweet One lay ! To the Holy City we must away, For, Son, t is Thy Presentation Day. Safe to my bosom undefiled, 1 11 gather Thee close, my baby mild, Oh, heed not the winds if they blow full wild, Thy father and I will guard Thee, Child. little Dove, two doves we 11 buy, Thy Mother and Thee to purify, Oh, happy the little doves to die To make us pleasing to God Most High. little Lambkin that hast lain Close to my heart, my joy, my pain, 1 11 offer Thee up with the lambkins slain, And buy Thee back to my heart again. Up, little Dove ! How sweet t would be To cage Thee here for eternity ! But no, little bird, I will set Thee free, For, long have the just ones watched for Thee. C97] OUR LADY OF THE FLOWERS When I cull the violet Soft-eyed, dew-eyed violet, See, I bring it to thy shrine ; Lady, I d not keep it mine : For the soft-eyed violet, With the heavenly vapors wet, With its perfume like thy breath That en-odored Nazareth, Wherefore, Lady, should it be But to tell its love to thee ? When I cut the daffodil Deep-heart, gold-heart daffodil, 983 See, I lay it at thy feet ; Surely, Lady, it is meet : For the deep-heart daffodil Where the heavenly dews distil, With its yellow-golden cup, Like thine heart with love filled up, Lady, ne er a flower made He, But, I trow, to dizen thee. THE KING S HIGHWAY I saw her walking through the field, God s Mother with her Son, And every little flower-bell pealed To praise the Holy One. And every lily lifted up To see the wondrous thing, As bearers of a dew-filled cup Before the little King. Oh, every little rose upturned To wave as He did pass, And every little sunbeam burned Its incense on the grass I 1:1003 Oh, every little piping bird Did trumpet from the tree, And every little lambkin heard, And danced, God s Lamb to see ! Oh, Nature all did serenade God s Mother and her Son; And then I knew why God had made His creatures every one! TO MARY Lady, fairest Lady, 1 bring from bowers shady The violets white, the violets blue, And twine them as a crown for You : Is it that little violets guess The wonder of their blessedness ? Mary, Virgin Mary, God s Flower extraordinary, From out this garden s heart of mine A wreath of Aves I entwine : Oh, will I ever really know What grace was mine to love You so ? C1023 OUR LADYE OF THE ROSARY Wouldst Thou teach me how to pray, Ladye of the Rosary? Teach these faltering lips to say Mystic songs to honor Thee I Teach me, then, to clasp the beads As the good Saint Dominic, When he prayed Thee for the needs Of the Albyan heretic. Teach my lips to tell Thy praise As the holy nuns and priests, Chanting anthems all their days For the glory of Thy feasts. C103: Teach me to declare my love, As the little lisping girl, Sending Av e-songs above, Holding fast her beads of pearl. Teach my lips to say the prayers Which the Irish granny saith, Holding fast Thy chain she wears, Slave of Thine in life, in death. Wouldst Thou teach me how to pray, Ladye of the Rosary? Teach me in the mother- way, Lisping infant at Thy knee. C104] OUE LADY S TROUBADOUR He was Our Lady s troubadour, And well he loved Our Lady, too, As oft he sang her praises o er In this, the only song he knew, Ave Maria! He came not from the Orient far, He wore no hose and doublet gay; He played not on a light guitar, But sang this song an old man s lay, Ave Maria! He was Our Lady s Troubadour, This poor old man from Erin s Isle, Who sang this same song o er and o er, And thumbed his Eosary the while, Ave Maria! And from the Castle window high Our Lady s favor to him fell; In Heaven, her troubadour for aye, He sings another Gabriel Ave Maria! C-1063 THE HELPER My crown of thorns is great and strong, My scourging cords are thick and long, My cross is monstrous high and wide ; What matter? God is at my side. C107H THE VISION OF THE CROSS Beneath the branching trees, Against the April sky, The Virgin Mary sees The immolation nigh. Oh, every twig & a cross, And every cross the hilt Of sword bitter loss ! Must His life-blood be spilt ! No marvel, trees, ye moan And shiver in the dark, That one of you must groan Beneath His body stark. No marvel, Mother dear, The vision clouds Thy joy, To see the moment near That crucifies Thy Boy. For soon His Tree will grow, And soon His Tree will fall, And soon the hammer s blow Will echo to Thy call. Aye, soon when Thou wilt stand Upon the fated hill, To take Thy Jesu s hand When death has done its will. * * # Oh, Mother, Queen of woes, So stand beneath my tree, When forth my spirit goes To mount its Calvary. 109 3 THE MOTHER S QUEST "And, not finding Him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking Him." St. Luke: n, 45. Have you seen my little Love Going by your door? Off He flew, my little Dove, And my heart is sore. You would know my little Boy, Dressed in white and brown. i How my heart o erflowed with joy As I wove His gown ! You would know Him from His hair, All of raven hue ; You would know Him anywhere, Once He looked at you. Oh, if you should see my Own, Seeking out His home, Tell Him how my joy has flown i As the streets I roam. Lead Him in beside thy hearth, Bid Him there remain ; Tell Him, though I search the earth, I will come again. And if hungry He should be, Give Him of your bread ; | If He nod so wearily, Make His little bed. CHI] Woman, if you see my Boy, Oh, to Him be kind ! You will have the fullest joy,- Lo, t is God you 11 find ! SAINT JOSEPH IN EGYPT Little Jesus, close Thy lids In the shade of pyramids ; Cuddle to Thy Mother s breast, Fear is fled ; now calmly rest. Little Jesus, Holy One, Child Who art my foster-son, I have led Thee weary miles, Saving Thee from Herod s wiles, er the burning Af ric sand Into Egypt s bondage-land, Where our sainted fathers slaved, Ere the God of justice saved. Child of Her, my Virgin- spouse Whom the humble barn did house, Lowlier dwelling here give I, Couch of sand beneath the sky. Jesu, must it ever be, Pain and poverty for Thee ? Oh, my love would rear a throne Eicher than the Pharaoh s own ; I would build for Thee and Her, I, the lowly carpenter, Palaces of precious stone Where we three might dwell alone. Little one, I do but dream Of the things that pleasant seem. What would we with Kingly home, We who bidden are to roam? What would we with joys of earth We who know whence Thou hadst birth 1 C114] Life is but an Egypt night Where we yearn for morning s light, Life is but a bondage place Till we see Thy Father s face. Bondage ah, but little Child Thou hast made our bondage mild. Into bondage have I led Her and Thee, my Worshiped ; But when comes the Lord s command, Back to Thine own Holy Land I will lead Thee, little Slave, There to die, my soul to save. Then, my Jesus, Thou wilt be Guardian of Her and me, Leading us from Egypt s night Into God s eternal light. THE THREE HOME-COMINGS Ah, glad the day Our Lady came To Nazareth the lowly, To Nazareth of blessed name, To Nazareth the holy. Ah, weak Our Lady was and spent, As down to Nazareth she went, But in her heart was Heaven s joy, For she was home with God, Her Boy. Ah, sad the day Our Lady came Unto the Holy City, From Calvary, the hill of shame, Where He had found no pity. Ah, desolate the Mother old, And desolate her hearthstone cold ; T was home, but home was not for her, Save in her Jesu s sepulchre. Ah, sing the day Our Lady came From out her earthly prison, When angels sang in glad acclaim To see God s Mother risen. Ah, eager did Our Lady rise Unto her dwelling in the skies, For Heaven was home, and home the place To see for aye her Jesu s face. 117] THE WASTE PLACES My Love came running eagerly Across the morning hills ; I knew His soul desired me, As hart the sparkling rills. I hid me from my Love that day, I answered not His cry ; I saw Him sadly turn away I knew not He must die. My Love, I weep the dreary night : The other loves I sought Have turned to vileness in my sight, And only anguish brought. Love, if Thou wilt come again Across the evil years, 1 11 serve Thee with my fullest pain, And pledge Thee in my tears. [1193 THE RIVER OF TEARS "In hac lacrymarum valle." The Salve Eegina. Under my heart a river flows, And no one else its burden hears ; Under my heart it ceaseless goes, The river of tears. Gaily I laugh, and gaily sing, A gladsome place the earth appears ; But under my heart t is murmuring, The river of tears. Merry is life and full of light, And love sings louder than all my fears, [120: But sad it moans in the long, still night, The river of tears. life, is all of thy mirth a show, A moment s dream in eternal years? Is this the real that sorrows so, The river of tears? Under the world the waters wend, And life their moaning ever hears ; For only the sea of God s heart will end The river of tears. UNTRAMMELLED Cor ad cor loquitur. Ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem. (Two mottoes of Newman.) Soul speaking soul, not waiting for the flesh Of tongue, or ear, or eye to mould the word; Not bursting heart to make it sound aright, And then to die ere its true strain be heard. Soul speaking soul, not dragging endless years 122 3 Behind a living corpse, that strove to speak From wondrous deeps of love, but all in vain; The mightiest, burning words it spake, too weak. Soul speaking soul, not dying in the gloom, Afraid to let its whisper plead for light; Afraid to say, * * the depths of all my love, Afraid to beg its freedom from the night. Soul speaking soul, ah! bliss of God s good Heaven, Knowing as known within His holy place ; 123 3 Soul unto soul, no mirror s dim re flection, But love, and love untrammelled, face to face. [124] THE POPLARS Straight and tall the poplars grow Even to my window high : Turning from the earth below, Every branch desires the sky. Be my life, Lord, a tree, Like the poplar tall and straight, Rising from earth s misery, Till it touches Heaven s gate. [125] LOVE S COMING Love comes with a whisper soft and low, As the breeze in the August trees, Or as ripples of brine in a rhythm slow At the edge of the dusky seas. Love comes with a whisper soft and low, But the love of God it comes not so. Love comes with a footstep still and slow, As the light to the gates of day ; Or as timid beams from the soft moon s glow, When the cloud-mists melt away. Love comes with a footstep still and slow, But the love of God it comes not so. C126] God s love it blows as the wild winds blow, For His love is a wind of might ; God s love it glows as the noon-fires glow, For His love is Eternal Light. Love comes with a whisper soft and low, But the love of God, it comes not so. [127;] LOVE WATCHETH Down the lane of the April night I saw the track of His shoon, And I saw His mist-robes touched with light As He swung His lantern-moon. Down the lane of the April skies, Ah well did I know t was He, As He flashed His lamp upon mine eyes, And spake to me tenderly. Watchman, weary the night, I cried; C128] "Why earnest Thou not before?" And the Lord said : * * Long have I watched outside, Till Love unbarred thy door. " C129] TO A WHITE VIOLET So small, infinitesimal, Violet white ; But the sheen of feathery screen Before moon s light Is not more white. So small, infinitesimal, Yet, so great, Heaven and earth have known their birth By the Power That made thee, flower. So small yet Heaven and earth Were made to be : So great for Heaven and earth Could not make thee. WHERE WATERS MEET Comes Joy upon the hills, Exultant hills of youth : And life- springs laugh in singing rills From hearts that know not ruth. Comes Grief within the vale, The vale of scarred years ; And life-springs surge in moaning wail - For life is only tears. Comes Joy upon the sea, Where all life *s waters end ; And Joy that once seemed Grief to me Is fairer at the end. CHANGELESS Fade, withered flower, thy life was but a day, Thy spirit long since wafted o er the lea, Thou but a shadow, blown and lost for aye, And other flowers will list the same decree. But lo, the breath of One here lingers still From out the land of immortality, Weighted with breath of incense Heavenly, And thus it ever will, it ever will. 132 ] Fall, empire, fall, from weariness and age, And let the desert s sand whirl o er thy tomb ; Draw to thine heart philosopher and sage, And crouch forgot, to give new empires room. But see, the Hand that made thee lingers still, Unwrinkled by thy years, young as thy doom, And there upon His cheek eternal bloom, And thus it ever will, it ever will. Die, things of earth, annihilation s spoil, And seek your grandsire in his empty home; The end has come to judge your ended toil, Nothing the end, as nothing was the proem. But over all your deathcry lingers still The Voice that shakes the Infinite s broad dome Dividing to men s souls the earned nome, And thus it ever will, it ever will. [134 3 AT DAWN Glow, shimmering sea of ether, tinted bright, Aurora s smile is mirrored in thy face; In eyes of angels thou hast seen the light, And lured it from the golden, Heavenly place. Thou hast creation s charms in thine embrace, The fairest of the fair. happy sight ! Transforming touch ! Who thinks it e er was night! golden sun, crave not the zenith s height ! Far sweeter thus where cherub cloud lets chase. Is Charon dead, and dost thou celebrate His longed-for end in deathly Styx below, And with this signaling dost thou relate To mortal man that he no fear may know! Thy golden torches brighter, fairer grow, Victorious over night they wave elate, And on his darkly robes their fury sate ; Up, up in praise thou sluggard man, ingrate, Cry out thy bravos for this wondrous show! wondrous mount, where vagrant clouds have mined, C136H And found the treasures that would buy an earth, An earth of gold with diamond chains entwined, T is man alone who slights thy count less worth, And scorns the hand Divine that gave thee birth : The earthly eye alone to thee is blind, For thou dost silence e en the blatant wind, And make the swarthy nighttime crawl behind : But man alone brings discord to the mirth. Is yon the portal of infinity, The draperies that shield the golden hall, Whence flows the light of broad eternity, A-piercing the transparent colored wall? Is it the shadow of the gleams that fall On angel wings flashed by the golden sea, The golden throne of mighty Deity, A forward gleam of what our love will be, When He will come, His children home to call? Is yon the image of another sphere, Where all is jewelled with undying flame Of unconsuming fire, that dares to peer Beyond the ramparts of our glory tame? earthliness, hast thou no power to claim C138] One gleam of that, to keep it ever here, To smile on us, when darkliness will leer, One gleam the sadness of our soul to cheer f earth, to hold what light from Heaven came ! Aye, verily, thou mount of jewels rare, Beside a lake of sparkling reddest wine, Each to the other lisping love- tales there, And flashing smiles which only souls divine, Till both pure hearts in one sweet smile entwine, And tell, by all the joyousness they wear, How love is happiness beyond compare, And life a glory in those regions fair, The border of the Sun-god s golden mine. C139] But them art fairer far, transplendent one, When lo ! I liken to thy golden sheen The smile of Him, the eastern flaming Sun, That came to earth, the flesh of man as screen, And thro that dimmed cloud, unseen His Godhead, when the night of sin had run In darksome course its folly long begun, Flashed forth His glory, victory all won, And made man happy in His light serene. C140] LOVE He needed us not, but He gave us being, To dust He granted the power of seeing The works of the arm of eternal might, And knowing the bliss of the Godhead s light: man, thou hast sounded the Sea of Love! AN ALLELUIA (ON THE ALLELUIA OF THE SIXTH MODE) That haunting strain, it follows me by day, It creeps beneath my pillow ere I sleep, It flows as obligate when I pray, And o er my thoughts unceasing watch doth keep. I like to think my angel heard the strain Before the throne in ages long ago, Eejoicing now to sing the song again In measure gentle, sweet, and calm, and low. C142J Ah, Alleluia ! God, I praise Thy name ; Ah, Alleluia ! t is a hymn gets love ; And in each note I hear the full acclaim Of Heavenly harps, faint- sounding far above. DISSOLUTION Speed thee, my soul, in a rapid flight, Speed thee, speed thee ; Out with the clouds of the gruesome night, Out where the bodily heart takes fright, Speed thee, speed thee. Speed thee, my soul, like a northern gale, Speed thee, speed thee ; Out with the winds in the lowly vale, Out with the night- wind s frightened wail, Speed thee, speed thee. Speed thee, my soul, from this bond of clay, Speed thee, speed thee. Blow o er the sands where the silver spray Of eternal Deep washes earth away, Speed thee, speed thee. Speed thee, my soul, for the light will come, Speed thee, speed thee ; Dark is the way but the glittering dome Will shine from afar, and lead thee home; Speed thee, speed thee. C1453 GOD S WORLD There is a flower that blows On the desert wild, Where no man ever goes : Oh, vain that flower smiled ! No man yet God can see How fair a flower may be. There is a bird that sings In the woodland drear ; But trees are lifeless things- No man the song will hear. No man but God can tell If birds are singing well. cue: THE DIET Handful of earth, I do not scorn For that thou art not scented flower. My Brother Earth, when man was born, T was not the lily from His bower Nor e en the star-dust s hammered gold That went into His fairest mould. Brother Slime, what artisan Could mould us to the form of man ! DC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A 000919001 8