I listen to the holy antheming That riseth in thy walls continually, What while the organ pealeth solemnly And white-robed men and boys stand up to sing. I ask my heart with a sad questioning: "What lov'st thou here?" and my heart answers me: "Within the shadows of this sanctuary To watch and pray is a most blessed thing." To watch and pray, false heart? it is not so: Vanity enters with thee, and thy love Soars not to Heaven, but grovelleth below. Vanity keepeth guard, lest good should reach Thy hardness; not the echoes from above Can rule thy stubborn feelings or can teach. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DOMESDAY BOOK: AT NICE by EDGAR LEE MASTERS OUR PRAYER OF THANKS by CARL SANDBURG THE ENGLISH GRAVEYARD IN MALACCA by KAREN SWENSON INVOCATION by LOUIS UNTERMEYER A SHROPSHIRE LAD: 52 by ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN EPIGRAM: 14. TO WILLIAM CAMDEN by BEN JONSON BALLAD OF THE WOMEN OF PARIS by FRANCOIS VILLON |