I A NOVICE when I came beneath thy gaze, There was no wonder in mine eyes before And no desire till I beheld thy grace. Be thou benign to young hands folded where I pray to be thy servant evermore. And with long-suffering compassion spare The feet still faltering on alien ways. II Now that my lips are very still and burn Do I behold whither have gone my feet: Into a splendid realm for others meet. Ah, yet perchance it was the hour to turn, When thro' the lofty gateway seemed to shine The eyes whose light my bended knees entreat Seeking my own and giving me a sign. III Dead forever is my world of old. Sense and spirit for thy presence reaches, Interchange of unimagined speeches, Grace, withdrawal, service manifold. Only thee would I in dreams behold, And I mourn the visions fugitive With the golden dark wherein they live, When the cloudless morning rises cold. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON ANOTHER'S SORROW, FR. SONGS OF INNOCENCE by WILLIAM BLAKE L'EAU DORMANTE by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH MARIE MIGNOT by RICHARD HARRIS BARHAM THE DEATH OF HAMPDEN by PAKENHAM THOMAS BEATTY LET NO BIRD SING by VERNE TAYLOR BENEDICT |