Lord, in this dust Thy sovereign voice
First quicken’d love divine;
I am all Thine,-Thy care and choice,
My very praise is Thine.
I praise Thee, while Thy providence
In childhood frail I trace,
For blessings given, ere dawning sense
Could seek or scan Thy grace;
Blessings in boyhood’s marvelling hour,
Bright dreams, and fancyings strange;
Blessings, when reason’s awful power
Gave thought a bolder range; {46}
Blessings of friends, which to my door
Unask’d, unhoped, have come;
And, choicer still, a countless store
Of eager smiles at home.
Yet, Lord, in memory’s fondest place
I shrine those seasons sad,
When, looking up, I saw Thy face
In kind austereness clad.
I would not miss one sigh or tear,
Heart-pang, or throbbing brow;
Sweet was the chastisement severe,
And sweet its memory now.
Yes! let the fragrant scars abide,
Love-tokens in Thy stead,
Faint shadows of the spear-pierced side
And thorn-encompass’d head.
And such Thy tender force be still,
When self would swerve or stray,
Shaping to truth the froward will
Along Thy narrow way. {47}
Deny me wealth; far, far remove
The lure of power or name;
Hope thrives in straits, in weakness love,
And faith in this world’s shame.
(Cardinal Newman)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Sadness Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Dreams Poems, Friendship Poems, Name Poems, Hope Poems, Home Poems, Money & Wealth Poems, Power Poems, Praise PoemsBased on Keywords: choicer, unhoped, unask, spear-pierced, fancyings, love-tokens, heart-pang, thine-thy