Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, HYMN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT; WRITTEN DURING A FOREBODING OF CALAMITY, by RACHEL ANNAND TAYLOR


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

HYMN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT; WRITTEN DURING A FOREBODING OF CALAMITY, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: There is a terror in my heart
Last Line: Spirit of god, thy knight am I.
Subject(s): Faith; God; Love; Prayer; Belief; Creed


THERE is a terror in my heart;
And the brown twilight is despair;
And there are echoes in my heart
That chime to yon great death-bell rung
Against an iron sky somewhere.
Yea, from the clouded height is flung
Into my holy horoscope,
Ruddy with love and white with hope,
A blazing dæmon star to-day,—
I will pray.
Spirit of God, I cry to Thee,—
O Silver Spirit, succour me.

Oh! Far beyond the iron sky,
The cruel gods, the Clouded Height,
Evil and good and iron sky,
Thou dwellest, Unimaginèd,
In the last ecstasy of light.
But, when the bitter Doom is sped,
Thy Passion strikes the spaces through;
Our silver sword and buckler too,
Our silver dragon-crest art thou!—
Now, oh, now,
Spirit of God, I cry to thee,
O Silver Spirit, strengthen me.

The bats are winging, bodied fears!
'Tis on the Clouded Height decreed
I be the plaything of the spears
Of the Dark Legion. I must go
To meet the tortures that exceed.
And all my soul is burning low;
My javelins, my dreams are lost.
How can I front the evil host?
Lord of the Silver Forges, smite
The anvil white.
Fashion me armour lest I die,
Spirit of God, thy knight am I.





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