St. Agnes' Eve 3517 ST. AGNES' EVE DEEP on the convent-roof the snows My breath to heaven like vapor goes: The shadows of the convent-towers Make Thou my spirit pure and clear Or this first snowdrop of the year As these white robes are soiled and dark, As this pale taper's earthly spark, To yonder argent round; So shows my soul before the Lamb, So in mine earthly house I am, To that I hope to be. Break up the heavens, O Lord! and far, Through all yon starlight keen, He lifts me to the golden doors; All heaven bursts her starry floors, For me the Heavenly Bridegroom waits, One Sabbath deep and wide A light, upon the shining sea- Alfred Tennyson [1809-1892] HIS BANNER OVER ME Its sword my spirit will not yield, the field; My cloud of battle-dust may dim, Gerald Massey [1828-1907] JESUS THE CARPENTER "ISN'T this Joseph's son?"-ay, it is He; I don't know right where as His shed must ha' stood— I've took off my hat, just with thinking of He At the same work as me, He warn't that set up that He couldn't stoop down "I Saw Thee" fhe parson he knows that I'll not make too free, I think of as how not the parson hissen, And when I goes home to my missus, says she, "Are ye wanting your key?" 3519 For she knows my queer ways, and my love for the shed, (We've been forty years wed.) So I comes right away by mysen, with the Book, Why don't I mark it? Ah, many says so, "When thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee" I SAW thee when, as twilight fell, I saw thee when thou stood'st alone, Where drooping branches thick o'erhung, Thy still retreat to all unknown, Hid in deep shadows darkly flung. I saw thee when, as died each sound Thy voice the listening silence heard. I saw thy calm, uplifted eyes, And marked the heaving of thy breast, I saw the light that o'er thy face Breathed the same bliss that angels know. I saw what thou didst not-above I saw thee from that sacred spot Ray Palmer [1808-1887] THE VETERAN OF HEAVEN O CAPTAIN of the wars, whence won Ye so great scars? In what fight did Ye smite, and what manner was the foe? Was it on a day of rout they compassed Thee about, Or gat Ye these adornings when Ye wrought their overthrow? ""Twas on a day of rout they girded Me about, They wounded all My brow, and they smote Me through the side: My hand held no sword when I met their armèd horde, And the conqueror fell down, and the conquered bruised his pride." Lucifer in Starlight 3521 What is this, unheard before, that the unarmed make war, And the slain hath the gain, and the victor hath the rout? What wars, then, are these, and what the enemies, Strange Chief, with the scars of Thy conquest trenched about? The Prince I drave forth held the Mount of the North, Girt with the guards of flame that roll around the pole. I drave him with My wars from all his fortress-stars, And the sea of death divided that My march might strike its goal. "In the keep of Northern Guard, many a great demonian sword Burns as it turns round the Mount occult, apart: There is given power and place still for some certain days, And his Name would turn the Sun's blood back upon its heart." What is Thy Name? O show!-"My Name ye may not know; 'Tis a going forth with banners, and a baring of much swords: But my titles that are high, are they not upon my thigh? 'King of Kings!' are the words, 'Lord of Lords'; It is written 'King of Kings, Lord of Lords.'” Francis Thompson [1859?-1907] LUCIFER IN STARLIGHT ON a starred night Prince Lucifer uprose. |