As a child in some far and quiet place
By earth scarce stirr’d
Grows shy as is some forest bird,
And almost feareth every stranger’s face;
But when he leaves that narrow strip of strand
A world to explore,
He findeth friends on the far shore,
And boldly graspeth many a brother’s hand;
So may I deem thy fair adventures fall-
So hast thou found,
O Man of God! now seeing crown’d
Many thou never thoughtest to see at all;
Hands that thou never didst expect would fold
The fadeless palm,
And faces most divinely calm
Thou never thoughtest Paradise could hold.
Forgive, if in this book I see thee what
Thou art not now,
With something of a narrow brow,
And something of a heart that hopeth not.
Sure at thy rigid creed confess’d erewhile,
With lovelit eye
Thou sighest, if the bless?d sigh,
Thou smilest if the bless?d pitying smile.
Thou smilest at the weight of glory given
To countless kings,
And puttest away thy childish things,
Taught by the manly love which is of heaven.
That hard belief whilst thou wert here below-
Belief thick-thorn’d-
With some fair flowers was adorn’d
Like furze that flames its gold in frost and snow.
And as when finest fancies troop across
The painter’s soul,
He draws the outline first in coal
Before he lets his haunted pencil toss
Its wealth of colour-ev’n so dark the sketch
Thy heart hath drawn,
But now it wears the rose-red dawn
Or gold of eve’s immeasurable stretch.
I hope that heav’n may hold some trembling souls
From this cold world,
Like poor birds by the snow-wind hurl’d
In where some stormy great church organ rolls.
Although they know not whether by wild seas
-Opening dim eyes,
And all apant with the surprise-
They move, or through the roaring forest trees.
Until the mild and stately quiet tell
That peace is there,
And on some carven cornice fair
A small voice sweetly pipeth, ‘It is well.’
(Archbishop William Alexander)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, God Poems, World Poems, Soul Poems, Nature Poems, War & Peace Poems, Faces Poems, Heaven Poems, Fairness Poems, Flowers Poems, Kings & Queens PoemsBased on Keywords: findeth, cornice, smilest, feareth, hopeth, thoughtest, puttest, snow-wind, lovelit, sighest, graspeth