For me the forests grew; for me
Th' electric force ran to and fro;
For me tribes wandered o'er the earth,
Kingdoms arose, and cities grew;

For me religions waxed and waned;
For me the ages garnered store;
For me ships traversed every sea;

For me the wise ones learned their lore;

For me through fire and blood and tears,
Man struggled onward up the height,
On which, at last, from heaven falls
An ever clearer, broader light.

The child of all the ages, I,

Nursed on th' exhaustless breasts of time; By heroes thrilled, by sages taught,

Sung to by bards of every clime.

Quintessence of the universe,

Distilled at last from God's own heart,

In me concentered now abides

Of all that is the subtlest part.

The produce of the ages past,
Heir of the future then, am I:
So much am I divine that God
Cannot afford to let me die.

If I should ever cease to be,

The farthest star its mate would miss, And, looking after me, would fall

Down headlong darkening to th' abyss.

For, if aught real that is could cease,
If the All-Father ever nods,

That day across the heavens would fall
Ragnarök, twilight of the gods.

EDWARD DOWDEN

SEEKING GOD

(The Inner Life)

I said, "I will find God," and forth I went
To seek Him in the clearness of the sky,
But over me stood unendurably

Only a pitiless sapphire firmament

Ringing the world,-blank splendour; yet intent
Still to find God, "I will go seek,” said I,
"His way upon the waters," and drew nigh
An ocean marge weed-strewn and foam-besprent;
And the waves dashed on idle sand and stone,
And very vacant was the long, blue sea;
But in the evening as I sat alone,
My window open to the vanishing day,

Dear God! I could not choose but kneel and pray,
And it sufficed that I was found of Thee.

FREDERIC W. H. MYERS

SUNRISE

From above us and from under,
In the ocean and the thunder,
Thou preludest to the wonder

Of the Paradise to be:

For a moment we may guess Thee
From Thy creatures that confess Thee
When the morn and even bless Thee,
And Thy smile is on the sea.

Then from something seen or heard,
Whether forests softly stirred,
Or the speaking of a word,
Or the singing of a bird,

Cares and sorrows cease.

For a moment on the soul
Falls the rest that maketh whole,
Falls the endless peace.

O the hush from earth's annoys!
O the heavens, O the joys
Such as priest and singing-boys
Cannot sing or say!

There is no more pain and crying,
There is no more death and dying,
As for sorrow and for sighing,—

These shall flee away.

GERARD HOPKINS

THE DEBT

Thee, God, I come from, to Thee go, All day long I like fountain flow From Thy hand out, swayed about Mote-like in Thy mighty glow.

What I know of Thee I bless,
As acknowledging Thy stress
On my being, and as seeing
Something of Thy holiness.

Once I turned from Thee and hid,
Bound on what Thou hadst forbid;
Sow the wind I would; I sinned:
I repent of what I did.

Bad I am, but yet Thy child.
Father, be Thou reconciled.

Spare Thou me, since I see

With Thy might that Thou art mild.

I have life left with me still
And Thy purpose to fulfil;

Yes, a debt to pay Thee yet:
Help me, Sir, and so I will.

THE HABIT OF PERFECTION

Elected Silence, sing to me

And beat upon my whorléd ear, Pipe me to pastures still, and be The music that I care to hear.

Shape nothing, lips; be lovely-dumb:
It is the shut, the curfew sent
From there where all surrenders come
Which only makes you eloquent.

Be shelléd, eyes, with double dark
And find the uncreated light;

This ruck and reel which you remark
Coils, keeps and teases simple sight.

Palate, the hutch of tasty lust,

Desire not to be rinsed with wine: The can must be so sweet, the crust So fresh that come in fasts divine!

Nostrils, your careless breath that spend
Upon the stir and keep of pride,
What relish shall the censers send
Along the sanctuary side!