Once again to wake, nor wish to sleep;
Once again to feel, nor feel a pain!
Rouse thy soul to watch and pray and weep
Once again.
Hope afresh, for hope shall not be vain:
Start afresh along the exceeding steep
Road to glory, long and rough and plain.
Sow and reap: for while these moments creep,
Time and earth and life are on the wane:
Now, in tears; to-morrow, laugh and reap
Once again.
Sursum Corda.
“Lift up your hearts.” “We lift them up.” Ah me!
I cannot, Lord, lift up my heart to Thee:
Stoop, lift it up, that where Thou art I too may be.
“Give Me thy heart.” I would not say Thee nay,
But have no power to keep or give away
My heart: stoop, Lord, and take it to Thyself to-day.
Stoop, Lord, as once before, now once anew
Stoop, Lord, and hearken, hearken, Lord, and do,
And take my will, and take my heart, and take me too.
O ye, who are not dead and fit
Like blasted tree beside the pit
But for the axe that levels it,
Living show life of love, whereof
The force wields earth and heaven above:
Who knows not love begetteth love?
Love poises earth in space, Love rolls
Wide worlds rejoicing on their poles,
And girds them round with aureoles.
Love lights the sun, Love thro’ the dark
Lights the moon’s evanescent arc,
Lights up the star, lights up the spark.
O ye who taste that love is sweet,
Set waymarks for all doubtful feet
That stumble on in search of it.
Sing notes of love: that some who hear
Far off inert may lend an ear,
Rise up and wonder and draw near.
Lead life of love: that others who
Behold your life, may kindle too
With love, and cast their lot with you.
Where shall I find a white rose blowing?-
Out in the garden where all sweets be.—
But out in my garden the snow was snowing
And never a white rose opened for me.
Nought but snow and a wind were blowing
And snowing.
Where shall I find a blush rose blushing?—
On the garden wall or the garden bed.—
But out in my garden the rain was rushing
And never a blush rose raised its head.
Nothing glowing, flushing or blushing:
Rain rushing.
Where shall I find a red rose budding?—
Out in the garden where all things grow.
But out in my garden a flood was flooding
And never a red rose began to blow.
Out in a flooding what should be budding?
All flooding!
Now is winter and now is sorrow,
No roses but only thorns to-day:
Thorns will put on roses to-morrow,
Winter and sorrow scudding away.
No more winter and no more sorrow
To-morrow.
“Redeeming the Time.”
A life of hope deferred too often is
A life of wasted opportunities;
life of perished hope too often is
life of all-lost opportunities:
Yet hope is but the flower and not the root,
And hope is still the flower and not the fruit;-
Arise and sow and weed: a day shall come
When also thou shalt keep thy harvest home.
“Now they desire a better Country.”
Love said nay, while Hope kept saying
All his sweetest say,
Hope so keen to start a-maying—
Love said nay.
Love was bent to watch and pray;
Long the watching, long the praying;
Hope grew drowsy, pale and grey.
Hope in dreams set off a-straying,
All his dream-world flushed by May;
While unslumbering, praying, weighing,
Love said nay.