Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TOWARDS DEMOCRACY: PART 3. O TENDER HEART, by EDWARD CARPENTER


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TOWARDS DEMOCRACY: PART 3. O TENDER HEART, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: O tender heart of our humanity
Last Line: All suffering for thy dear sake is holy.
Subject(s): Crucifixion; Hearts; Humanity; Love; Mary. Mother Of Jesus; Pain; Religion; Women In The Bible; Jesus Christ - Crucifixion; Virgin Mary; Suffering; Misery; Theology


O TENDER heart of our humanity,
O bleeding sacred heart, with tears of ages.

Dear Mother, once on earth, now glorified—
Thy arms outstretched in love o'er all creation—
Thy husk lies by the sea-shore, which Thou once
Didst thus and thus inhabit (parted now)
For it could ne'er contain Thee).

O buds and blooms of Spring once more returning,
Bright waters flowing, O heavenly blue still shining
And Thou still spreading over all and changeless,
O tender heart of our humanity,
O bleeding sacred heart, with tears of ages.

Arise Thou glorified,
Year after year—leaving thy mortal days behind—
Dear mother in the great unseen impending,
Slowly creation orbs about thy form.
I follow where thou walkedst. I behold
Where ages back on earth Thou still didst pass,
I see thee in the streets to-day disguised;
Thy spirit glides eternal—and I follow,
Kissing the sacred foot-prints as I go.

All suffering for thy dear sake is holy—
(O thorn-crowned brow, O bleeding sacred heart)—
Thou that didst bear me and thy children all
With bitter pangs and sorrow for thy cup
(Thy thin hands laid at last within the grave),
All suffering for thy dear sake is holy.






Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net