Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE CHURCH OF THE HEART, by JOHN TROTWOOD MOORE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE CHURCH OF THE HEART, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Deep in the dales of the human heart
Last Line: Tho' it hath no priests and it hath no bells!
Subject(s): God; Hearts; Love; Religion; Temples; Theology; Mosques


DEEP in the dales of the human heart,
Deep in the dells of the soul,
Where the springs of the innermost passions start,
Where the brooks of Hope and Happiness part
And the flowers of life unfold,
Is a temple whose vespers rise and swell,
Yet it hath no priest and it hath no bell.

'Tis loftier far than the dome of the sky,
'Tis deeper down than the sea,
It catches the gleam of the stars as they fly
And the music they make as they wander by
With their heavenly minstrelsy,
Music—but whence no mortal can tell—
For it hath no priest and it hath no bell.

No glitter of tinsel, no blight of gold,
No fashion of rank and lies,
No creeds in their coffined urns of old,
Where the dust lies deep on their hearts of mold,
No altar where prides arise—
And yet no cathedrals in beauty excel—
Tho' it hath no priest and it hath no bell.

And here hath the crushed and the desolate prayed
From the depth of their soul's despair,
And hither hath sad-eyed Sorrow strayed,
And outcast Hope hath sobbed and laid
Her head on the altar there.
And never Anathema rings their knell,
For it hath no priest and it hath no bell!

O, glorious church of the heart divine—
(O, conscience—priest to us all!)
High o'er the world may your sweet dome shine—
With your silent priest in this heart of mine—
And the image of Love on your wall.
O, Church of the heart—'tis there God dwells
Tho' it hath no priests and it hath no bells!





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