FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>  
ow, breathe a breath Of life forevermore! The thought of Love Immortal blends With fond remembrances of friends; In you, O sacred flowers, By human love made doubly sweet, The heavenly and the earthly meet, The heart of Christ and ours! 1882. THE MYSTIC'S CHRISTMAS. "All hail!" the bells of Christmas rang, "All hail!" the monks at Christmas sang, The merry monks who kept with cheer The gladdest day of all their year. But still apart, unmoved thereat, A pious elder brother sat Silent, in his accustomed place, With God's sweet peace upon his face. "Why sitt'st thou thus?" his brethren cried. "It is the blessed Christmas-tide; The Christmas lights are all aglow, The sacred lilies bud and blow. "Above our heads the joy-bells ring, Without the happy children sing, And all God's creatures hail the morn On which the holy Christ was born! "Rejoice with us; no more rebuke Our gladness with thy quiet look." The gray monk answered: "Keep, I pray, Even as ye list, the Lord's birthday. "Let heathen Yule fires flicker red Where thronged refectory feasts are spread; With mystery-play and masque and mime And wait-songs speed the holy time! "The blindest faith may haply save; The Lord accepts the things we have; And reverence, howsoe'er it strays, May find at last the shining ways. "They needs must grope who cannot see, The blade before the ear must be; As ye are feeling I have felt, And where ye dwell I too have dwelt. "But now, beyond the things of sense, Beyond occasions and events, I know, through God's exceeding grace, Release from form and time and place. "I listen, from no mortal tongue, To hear the song the angels sung; And wait within myself to know The Christmas lilies bud and blow. "The outward symbols disappear From him whose inward sight is clear; And small must be the choice of clays To him who fills them all with praise! "Keep while you need it, brothers mine, With honest zeal your Christmas sign, But judge not him who every morn Feels in his heart the Lord Christ born!" 1882. AT LAST. When on my day of life the night is falling, And, in the winds from unsunned
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>  



Top keywords:

Christmas

 

Christ

 

lilies

 

things

 

sacred

 

blindest

 

feeling

 
masque
 

unsunned

 

strays


howsoe

 

reverence

 

shining

 

accepts

 

choice

 

praise

 
brothers
 

honest

 

disappear

 

exceeding


Release

 

falling

 

events

 

Beyond

 

occasions

 

mystery

 
listen
 

outward

 

symbols

 

tongue


mortal

 

angels

 

gladdest

 

MYSTIC

 

CHRISTMAS

 

unmoved

 

accustomed

 

Silent

 
brother
 

thereat


thought
 
Immortal
 

blends

 
forevermore
 

breathe

 
breath
 

remembrances

 

friends

 

doubly

 

heavenly