TIME was they lifted thee so high Between the gazer and the sky, That all the worshipper might see Was God no more, but only thee. So high was set thy cross, that they Who would thy every thought obey, Saw not thy gracious face, nor heard More than an echo of thy word. But now 'tis nearer to the ground, The weeping women kneel around, The scoffers sneering by, deride Thy kingly claims, thy wounded side. Only two beams of common wood, And a meek victim bathed in blood, Rude nails that pierce the tortured limb, Mild eyes with agony grown dim. Aye, but to those who know thee right Faith strengthens with the nearer sight; Love builds a deeper, stronger, creed On those soft eyes and hands that bleed. Raised but a little from the rest, But higher therefore and more blest; No more an empty priestly sign, But the more human, more divine. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MY FATHER'S FACE by HAYDEN CARRUTH KEEPING UP WITH THE SIGNS by MADELINE DEFREES RESURRECTION UPDATE by JAMES GALVIN THE SMALL SELF AND THE LIBERAL SELF by JAMES GALVIN EVENTIDE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON LETHE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SMOTHERED FIRES by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON |