wn from His hand so red!
The blood ran down from His forehead torn.
"'Tis naught," quoth He, "but the prick of a thorn!"

"You bleed," I cried, for my heart 'gan quail.
"'Tis naught, 'tis naught but the print of a nail."
"You limp in pain and your feet are sore."
"Yea, yea," quoth He, "for the nails they were four."

"You are weary and faint and bent," I cried.
"'Twas a load I bore up a mountain side."
"The way is steep, and I faint." But He:
"It was steeper far upon Calvary."

By this we had come to a narrow door,
I had spied afar. It was locked before;
But now in the presence of my Guide,
The fast-closed postern opened wide.

And forth there streamed a radiance
More bright than is the noon-sun's glance;
And harps and voices greeted Him--
The music of the Seraphim.

I knew His face where the light did fall:
I had spat in it, in Herod's Hall,
I knew those nail-prints now, ah, me!--
I had helped to nail Him to a tree.

I fainting fell before His face,
Imploring pardon of His grace.
He stooped and silencing my moan,
He bore me near to His Father's throne.

He wrapt me close and hid my shame,
And touched my heart with a cleansing flame.
"Rest here," said He, "while I go and try
To widen a little a Needle's Eye."

THE CLOSED DOOR

Lord, is it Thou who knockest at my door?
I made it fast and 't will not open more;
Barred it so tight I scarce can hear Thy knock,
And am too feeble now to turn the lock,
Clogged with my folly and my grievous sin:
Put forth Thy might, O Lord, and burst it in.

CONVENTION

At the Judgment-bar stood spirits three:
A thief, a fool and a man of degree,
To whom spake the Judge in his Majesty.

To the shivering thief: "Thy sins are forgiven,
For that to repent thou hast sometime striven;
There be other penitent thieves in Heaven."

To the fool: "Poor fool, thou art free from sin;
To My light thou, too, mayest enter in,
Where Life and Thought shall for thee begin."

To the mirror of others, smug and neat,
With the thoughts and sayings of others replete,
This Judgment rolled from the Judgment-seat:

"Remain thou thyself, a worm to crawl.
Thou, doubly damned, canst not lower fall
Than ne'er to have thought for thyself at all."

THE MAGDALEN

He flaunted recklessly along,
With hollow laugh and mocking song;

In tawdry garb and painted mi