I am a bubble Upon thy ever-moving, resting sea: Oh, rest me now from tossing, trespass, trouble! Take me down into thee. Give me thy peace. My heart is aching with unquietness: Oh, make its inharmonious beating cease! Thy hand upon it press. My Night! my Day! Swift night and day betwixt, my world doth […]

Mercy to thee, O Lord, belongs, For as his work thou giv’st the man. From us, not thee, come all our wrongs; Mercy to thee, O Lord, belongs: With small-cord whips and scorpion thongs Thou lay’st on every ill thy ban. Mercy to thee, O Lord, belongs, For as his work thou giv’st the man.

The stars are spinning their threads, And the clouds are the dust that flies, And the suns are weaving them up For the day when the sleepers arise. The ocean in music rolls, The gems are turning to eyes, And the trees are gathering souls For the day when the sleepers arise. The weepers are […]

Great-hearted child, thy very being The Son, Who know’st the hearts of all us prodigals;– For who is prodigal but he who has gone Far from the true to heart it with the false?– Who, who but thou, that, from the animals’, Know’st all the hearts, up to the Father’s own, Can tell what it […]

O Lord, I cannot but believe The birds do sing thy praises then, when they sing to one another, And they are lying seed-sown land when the winter makes them grieve, Their little bosoms breeding songs for the summer to unsmother! If thou hadst finished me, O Lord, Nor left out of me part of […]

I do not know thy final will, It is too good for me to know: Thou willest that I mercy show, That I take heed and do no ill, That I the needy warm and fill, Nor stones at any sinner throw; But I know not thy final will– It is too good for me […]

Every time would have its song If the heart were right, Seeing Love all tender-strong Fills the day and night. Weary drop the hands of Prayer Calling out for peace; Love always and everywhere Sings and does not cease. Fear, the caitiff, through the night Silent peers about; Love comes singing with a light And […]

I shall be satisfied With the seeing of thy face. When I awake, wide-eyed, I shall be satisfied With what this life did hide, The one supernal grace! I shall be satisfied With the seeing of thy face.

I. A thousand houses of poesy stand around me everywhere; They fill the earth and they fill my thought, they are in and above the air; But to-night they have shut their doors, they have shut their shining windows fair, And I am left in a desert world, with an aching as if of care. […]

DECEMBER 28, 1879. A dim, vague shrinking haunts my soul, My spirit bodeth ill– As some far-off restraining bank Had burst, and waters, many a rank, Were marching on my hill; As if I had no fire within For thoughts to sit about; As if I had no flax to spin, No lamp to lure […]

In his arms thy silly lamb, Lo, he gathers to his breast! See, thou sadly bleating dam, See him lift thy silly lamb! Hear it cry, “How blest I am! Here is love, and love is rest!” In his arms thy silly lamb See him gather to his breast!

I. I say! hey! cousin there! I mustn’t call you brother! Yet you have a tail behind, and I have another! You pull, and I pull, though we don’t pull together: You have less hardship, and I have more weather! II. Your legs are long, mine are short; I am lean, you are fatter; Your […]

Strait is the path? He means we must not roam? Yes; but the strait path leads into a boundless home.

I.–BY THE CRADLE. Close her eyes: she must not peep! Let her little puds go slack; Slide away far into sleep: Sis will watch till she comes back! Mother’s knitting at the door, Waiting till the kettle sings; When the kettle’s song is o’er She will set the bright tea-things. Father’s busy making hay In […]

Said the Wind to the Moon, “I will blow you out! You stare In the air As if crying Beware, Always looking what I am about: I hate to be watched; I will blow you out!” The Wind blew hard, and out went the Moon. So, deep On a heap Of clouds, to sleep Down […]

A harebell hung her wilful head: “I am tired, so tired! I wish I was dead.” She hung her head in the mossy dell: “If all were over, then all were well!” The Wind he heard, and was pitiful, And waved her about to make her cool. “Wind, you are rough!” said the dainty Bell; […]

The stars cleave the sky. Yet for us they rest, And their race-course high Is a shining nest! The hours hurry on. But where is thy flight, Soft pavilion Of motionless night? Earth gives up her trees To the holy air; They live in the breeze; They are saints at prayer! Summer night, come from […]

I was very cold In the summer weather; The sun shone all his gold, But I was very cold– Alas, we were grown old, Love and I together! Oh, but I was cold In the summer weather! Sudden I grew warmer Though the brooks were frozen: “Truly, scorn did harm her!” I said, and I […]

No bird can sing in tune but that the Lord Sits throned in equity above the heaven, And holds the righteous balance always even; No heart can true response to love afford Wherein from one to eight not every chord Is yet attuned by the spirits seven: For tuneful no bird sings but that the […]

I. What human form is this? what form divine? And who are these that gaze upon his face Mild, beautiful, and full of heavenly grace, With whose reflected light the gazers shine? Saviour, who does not know it to be thine? Who does not long to fill a gazer’s place? And yet there is no […]