Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE TWO PATHS; VIA DOLOROSA AND VIA GIOJOSA, by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL Poet's Biography First Line: My master, they have wronged thee and thy love Last Line: From glory unto glory, even here! Subject(s): Pilgrimages & Pilgrims; Praise | ||||||||
MY Master, they have wronged Thee and Thy love! They only told me I should find the path A Via Dolorosa all the way! Even Thy sweetest singers only sang Of pressing onward through the same sharp thorns, With bleeding footsteps, through the chill dark mist, Following and struggling till they reach the light, The rest, the sunshine of the far beyond. The anthems of the pilgrimage were set In most pathetic minors, exquisite, Yet breathing sadness more than any praise; Thy minstrels let the fitful breezes make AEolian moans on their entrusted harps, Until the listeners thought that this was all The music Thou hadst given. And so the steps That halted where the two ways met and crossed, The broad and narrow, turned aside in fear, Thinking the radiance of their youth must pass In sombre shadows if they followed Thee; Hearing afar such echoes of one strain, The cross, the tribulation, and the toil, The conflict and the clinging in the dark. What wonder that the dancing feet are stayed From entering the only path of peace! Master, forgive them! Tune their harps anew, And put a new song in their mouths for Thee, And make Thy chosen people joyful in Thy love. Lord Jesus, Thou hast trodden once for all The Via Dolorosa, -- and for us! No artist power or minstrel gift may tell The cost to Thee of each unfaltering step, When love that passeth knowledge led Thee on, Faithful and true to God, and true to us. And now, beloved Lord, Thou callest us To follow Thee, and we will take Thy word About the path which Thou hast marked for us, Narrow indeed it is! Who does not choose The narrow track upon the mountain side, With ever-widening view, and freshening air, And honeyed heather, rather than the road, With smoothest breadth of dust and loss of view, Soiled blossoms not worth gathering, and the noise Of wheels instead of silence of the hills, Or music of the waterfalls? Oh, why Should they misrepresent Thy words and make "Narrow" synonymous with "very hard"? For Thou, Divinest Wisdom, Thou hast said Thy ways are ways of pleasantness, and all Thy paths are peace; and that the path of him Who wears thy perfect robe of righteousness Is as the light that shineth more and more Unto the perfect day. And Thou hast given An olden promise rarely quoted now, Because it is too bright for our weak faith: "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend Days in prosperity, and they shall spend Their years in pleasures." All because thy days Were full of sorrow, and Thy lonely years Were passed in grief's acquaintance -- all for us! Master, I set my seal that Thou art true, Of Thy good promise not one thing hath failed! And I would send a ringing challenge forth To all who know Thy name to tell it out, Thy faithfulness to every written word, Thy loving-kindness crowning all the days; To say and sing with me: "The Lord is good, His mercy is forever, and His truth Is written on each page of all my life!" Yes! there is tribulation, but Thy power Can blend it with rejoicing. There are thorns, But they have kept us in the narrow way, The King's highway of holiness and peace. And there is chastening, but the Father's love Flows through it; and would any trusting heart Forego the chastening and forego the love? And every step leads on to "more and more;" From strength to strength Thy pilgrims pass and sing The praise of Him who leads them on and on, From glory unto glory, even here! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...PRAISE PREMATURE by SAMUEL BISHOP ON GIFTS FOR GRACE by BERNADETTE MAYER AFTERTHOUGHTS OF DONNA ELVIRA by CAROLYN KIZER OUR DEATHLESS DEAD by EDWIN MARKHAM SIR JOHN CHIVERTON: DEDICATORY STANZAS. by WILLIAM HARRISON AINSWORTH A BOOK OF AIRS: SONG 12. A RENUNCIATION by THOMAS CAMPION TO MY HONORED FRIEND SIR ROBERT HOWARD by JOHN DRYDEN PRAISE OF LITTLE WOMEN by JUAN RUIZ CONSECRATION HYMN by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL I DID THIS FOR THEE! WHAT HAST THOU DONE FOR ME? by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL A BIRTHDAY GREETING TO MY FATHER, 1860 by FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL |
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