scallop shell of quiet - forgotten books. revelation xxxi. light xxxii. dar' ness xxxiii. the...
TRANSCRIPT
SCALLOP SHELL
OF QUIET
BY
CAR OLINE HA'AR D
B OSTON AN D N EW YOR'
HOUGHTON,M IFFLIN AN D COMPAN Y
't he M art ins pm' , dambn’
bge
MDCCCCV II I
CONTEN TS
PRELUDE
LENTEN SONNETS
I . ASH ' WEDNESDAY
I I . THE THRONE
I I I . PRAYER
IV. PETITION
V . JOY
VI . THE SEA OF GALILEE
SACRIF ICEH
VIII . TUMULT
I ' . PEACE
X . THAN' SGIVING
XI . TRIB UTE
XII . SEED' TIME
XII I . RENUNCIATION
XIV . SINCERITY
XV . THE DAYSPRING
XVI . ' IF GOD so CLOTHE THE GRASS
XVI I . THE NAME
XVII I . TR UTH
C O N T E N T S
XIX .
' LIFT THINE EYES '
XX . THE MEASUREXXI . COM PLETION
XXII . NA'ARETH
XXIII . ANNUNCIATION
XXIV . CAPERNAUM
XXV . THE SUN
XXVI . THE VOICE
XXVII . THE JORDAN
XXVIII . THE WILDERNESS
XXIX . JERICHO
XXX . REVELATION
XXXI . LIGHT
XXXII . DAR'NESS
XXXIII . THE CUP
XXXIV . THE ENTRY
XXXV . THE GARDEN
XXXVI . GETHSEMANE
XXXVI I . GOLGOTHA
XXXVIII . THE NINTH HOUR
XXXIX . MARTHA
X L. VERY EARLY IN THE MOR N I NG
INTERLUDETHE CLOSE OF THE YEARVIA VITAE
NEW YEAR’S HYM N
C O N T E N T S
A SPRINGTIME HYM N
RENEWAL
SILENCE
VISION
ASSURANCE
TIMETHY NEIGH BOR
TERROR
ROME
DUALITY
OUT OF EGYPT HAVE I CALLED
REFUGE
A CYCLE OF GRIEF
I . COLD
I I . SU BM ISSION
I I I . WELCOME
IV. SELF ' FORGETFULNESS
V. RECURRENCE
VI . LOVE AN D SORROW
VI I . SIGHT WVIII . LIFE
Give m e my scallop sbell of'uiet,lily staj
'
offaitb to walk upon
'My scr ip ofjoy , imm or tal diet ''My bottle ofsalvation '
'My g ow n ofg lory , bope’
s tr ue gag e,find thus I
’
ll take my pilgr imag e .
SI R WALTER R ALEGH
PRELUDE
AH,ifI once cou l d say j u st What I wou ld ,
A l l understood
Cou l d catch the thought that s t i l l e l udes my might,
H i de s out o f S igh t '
Coul d Speak by forms and mode l s unconfined ,
Pou r my mind
Into the raptu re o f a wondrou s speech
Angel s teach .
Would i t be fren zy,fol ly
,merest madness
,
Or sadnes s
Wou ld i t be rad iant beau ty,glory , grace ,
Love ’s own face ?
Ah,to find and se ize my inmost mean ing,
N O more glean ing
Scanty gra in ' to fol low where my soul hath t rod ,
To seek God
LENTEN SONNETS
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
I I
THE THRONE
AN D hav i ng found H im,what shal l aught avai l
To move thy stead fast m ind ? There i s no i l l '
Whate’er bet i des,i t i s H i s l ov ing wi l l
,
H i s wi l l,and shal l H i s courage eve r fai l ?
And i f the h ighest heaven thou wi l t scal e,
Lo,He i s there 'or lo o k
'
within,and st i l l
H i s i s the glory th at thy sou l doth fi l l,
God and thyselfcomplete thy l i fe’s whole tale .
Then what great peace and what a noble shame
Should fi l l thy soul,for 10
,i t i s th ine own '
The Giver gave the gi ft,res igned al l cla im '
I t i s fo r thee to clean se thy heart fu l l wel l,
This l owly place where H e vouch safes to dwel l,
To Show H i s wondrou s love,to bui l d His throne .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
I I I
PRAYER
MY grac iou s Lord , I know not what to ask '
I woul d not come beseech ing some one th ing
Whose ve ry grant ing might an angu i sh b r i ng
I know not of' I woul d no t dare to task
Omn ipotence my small des i re s to mask
In glo ry,nor import unate ly C l ing
And st ri ve to stay Thine angel ’s onward wing,
Nor wou ld I i dly in Thy presence bask .
But s imply as Thy ch i l d I come and kneel,
To Spread my sou l in Th ine effulgen t l igh t,
And tax my every sense to hear,to feel
,
To see,to know
,to open every door
,
To be en larged,to ca tc h o f Th ine ou tpou r
Ofgrace , o fjo y , o fThy t ran scendent m ight .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
IV
PET ITION
LORD,I do ask
,and ye t I know not how '
Lord,I do long
,and know not yet for what '
I t cannot be , my Lord , I have forgot
Some whi sper ofThine own,once heard
,and now
Lost in obscuri ty I come and bow
My head an d search in vain fo r what i s not,
The power to ri se t o Th e e,t h e holy spot
Where Thou wil t stand revealed,and I may know .
Lord,change my asking
,subl imate des i re
,
Breathe Thou aga in that ble s sed word of Thine,
Show me the dream,the ecs tasy
,the fi re
,
When earth i s los t,and ga te s o fheaven unrol l
In perfect un ion of the soul w i th Soul,
In joy of prayer that mel t s in the d iv ine .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
VI
THE SEA OF GAL ILEE
SWEET waters , whose serene and l imp id wave
Uphel d the pulp i t from wh ich words were said
To ou t l ast t ime ' on whose banks feast s were
Spread
Which to the sou l an unkn own V igor gave
Ye did obey , when s torms began to rave ,
The Peace,be s t i l l
,
' and each foam ' c rested head
Became l ike sol i d oak beneath that t read
Which bo re embod ied love,and powe r to save .
The mountain s m i rror the i r fai r he igh t s in thee '
Upon the i r s l opes H i s ble s sed foot s teps t rod
Whom mul t i t u de s wen t to the wilds to se e,
And to be fedw i th bread come down from heaven .
From thee wen t out the Spi r i t ’s migh ty leaven,
For here was man i fest the Son of God .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
VI I
SACRIFICE
I SAID,a sacrifice I Wi l l p repare
Unto my God,some perfec t spotl es s th ing ,
A first ling of my flock for offering,
tender t u rt l e ' dove,al l Wh i te and fai r .
Alas,how fru i t l e s s i s my anxiou s care '
My flock has no unblemi shed l amb to br ing,
My long' sought gen t l e dove wi th b roken wing
In vain endeavor beat s the t roubl ed a i r .
S i nce naught I do— as i s most ev iden t
I s pe rfect,s in ce my fai res t th ings o f p ri ce
Al l fa il i n execut ion or i n ten t '
Let me make OiI'
e ring of the humbled wi l l ,
Which gives u p doing,and wou l d j u st be S t i l l
,
I t sel f the sacrifice of sac rifice .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
V I I I
TUMULT
LOR D,I wou l d bring the whole of l ife to Thee
,
Not only i t s external outward Show,
But al l i t s Springs,i t s ceaseles s ebb and flow
Ofseeth ing thought,the ri s ing of the se a
Ofhopes and fears ' the solemn Choice s free
Begett ing act ion ' secret seeds which sow
The fe rt i le fiel d s from which my harvest s grow
These would I bring in all humi l i ty .
And far beyond these I would s t r i ve to bring
The horde of t roubled and unqu ie t ghos t s
O f bygone days,which fl i t on bat ' l ike w i ng,
O f murdered love,andoft ' wept griefs wh ich su rge ,
A cruel phantom crowd,wi th scorp ion scou rge
Thine hand alone can stay,O Lord of Hosts .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
X
THAN'SG IVING
LORD,Thou dost know ' I cannot know the ways
In wh ich Thy love my fl i ckering l i fe doth lead '
I cannot know the profi t and the need
Ofwhat wou ld seem d i saste r and de lays .
But I would have the c u rrent ofmy days
Run clear and st rong,from Springs wh ich Thou
dost feed,
A l ife flood which Thy mercy deign s to heed,
And with heart ' beat s whose pu l se shal l be Thy
prai se .
For grie f and j oy Thy love doth subl imate
To blend into a harmony d iv i ne '
And heavy sorrow j oy doth rec reate
In nobler fash ion,adding dep ths unknown
And v ib ran t height s whi ch lead up to Thy throne,
Whence st ream ing forth the l ight s cel est i al sh ine .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XI
TRIBUTE
I N anc ient t imes men brought the i r sovere ign lord
The hardly gathered tr ibu te,year by year
Extorted by Oppre s s ion and by fear.
The frightened se rf in secre t t r ied to hoard
Some scanty sheaf to d res s h i s frugal board '
But when the sum was paid,then he was c l ear
Unt i l the taxe r shoul d aga in appea r '
Then cou l d he j oy in al l that he had stored .
So wi sh I not to deal wi th Thee,my ' i ng ,
To give Thee al l Thy due what sou l may cla im ?
Some s tated t r ibu te wi l l I gladly b ring,
But better Thou mus t have Thy holy Share
In al l,my work o r s tudy
,res t or care
,
Til l al l of l i fe i s t ri bute to Thy name .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F Q U I E T
XI I
SEED—TIME
A LIVING green has touched the swel l ing h i l l s,
And t iny b i rd s ch i rp i n the leafl e s s t rees '
U p from the ocean comes a vernal b reeze
That b r ings the showers to feed the mountain ri l l s .
In dark red so i l the s teady p loughman dr i l l s
The long deep fu rrows,s ink ing to h i s knee s
In spongy eart h ' i t is no t ime o f ease,
Wi th s ign s o f b i rth and promi se Na tu re th r i l l s .
D ri ve Thou Thy plough,O Lord
,deep in my
hea rt,
Hardened benea th a load o f pet ty cares '
Break up i t s gu il ty c rus t,and freely sta rt
The showers of Thy grace ' then sow some seed
Whose ri pened harvest Thou wi l t de ign to heed,
And hu sband i t wit h grac iou s heaven ly ai rs .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
X IV
SINCERITY
O THAT I coul d make t rue each word I say '
That eve ry act ion,eve ry l igh test though t
,
That al l I do in Thy dear l ove be wrought
That not a momen t of a S i ngle day
From con sc iou snes s o f Thee I tu rn away,
Thy presence seeking as the sun i s sought,
For l ight,fo r warm th
,fo r growth ' then t ru ly
naugh t
Would grieve,bu t l o s s o f that i n sp i r i ng ray .
So shoul d my l i fe be serv i ce and t rue song,
In blended harmony the two Should mate .
No work,no effo rt
,coul d be coun ted long '
For each is done,or l ived
,or borne fo r Thee
And i f Thou shoul ds t accep t that work from me,
Then naught cou ld be too l i t t l e,or too great .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XV
THE DAYSPR ING
THE eastern sky i s fl ushed w i th gleams o fgol d
And gorgeou s t in t s o fcrimson and of red '
The sea reflect s the l ight from overhead,
And l ike a sheet o fs i l ve r l ie s un rol led .
The day draws near on noi sel es s w ings . Behol d
The mighty Change,the ri s ing from the dead
O f n igh t and d reams . Now i s the darknes s fled,
And day wi th warm th and l igh t di spe l s the cold .
The morn ing mi racle 'So when H e came
Who i s the l ight to l ighten al l the earth,
The D aysp r ing from on H igh was call ed H i s
name,
The sou rce Of l ove,the foun t o flife and l ight
,
Whose tender me rcy came to chase ou r n ight,
To give the day w i th i n ou r heart s i t s b i rt h .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XVI
IF GOD SO CLOTHE THE GRASS
H E must have kn own th i s l i ly o f the fiel d
In al l the glory of it s c rimson dres s '
This purpl e i ri s in i t s l ovel ines s,
Thi s cycl amen,i t s leaves a s i l ve r sh iel d
,
This mignonette,th i s orch id
,al l appealed
In beau ty to H im,each was an expres s
Image o fjo y , which mutely d i d con fes s
H i s care,Who in the gras s His l ove revealed .
And when upon the h il l s o fGal i l ee
H e spen t the watches o f the n igh t i n p rayer,
When solemn s tars in s i l en ce l ooked to se e
The confl i ct Ofthe wide wo rl d in one soul,
True man,t rue God
,Who shoul d redeem the
whole,
With dawn adoring flowers were al so there .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XV I I I
TRUTH
THE t i ny hands wi th al l the i r baby m igh t
S t retch j oyously to grasp the rol l ing bal l '
Too large for thei r smal l hol d they le t i t fal l
And rol l i t n ow to left,and now to r ight
,
S t i l l reach ing afte r,wi th renewed del ight
,
At each rebound from the enclos ing wal l,
With growing courage nothing can appal l,
St i l l eager for the th ing so fu l l in s ight .
So we , with in fan t hands tha t cannot hold
The rounded tru th,reach ou t and gl adly say
We have i t su rely,he re i s t ru th ’s pure gold '
When we j us t touch the oute r r im,and so
Bu t send i t onward,fa rther from us ' 10
'
Full orbed i t rol l s upon it s heavenly way .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XIX
L IFT THINE EYES
MOST noble h i l l s and mountain s darkly bl ue
S t retch round and shel te r me wi th l ov ing care .
Upon the i r s l opes they stately l i ve ' oaks bear
And orchard s fl u shed w i th tender rosy hue,
Where st reams cut rugged canon s sharply through
Yet I,who al l the i r boun t ie s gladly sh are
O f shel te r,shade
,and fru i t
,— the love I bear
I s fo r the i r beau ty , no t for wha t they do .
So from the h i l l s m ine eyes I u pwa rd l i ft,
Not fo r Thy gi ft s,Thy care
,l et me adore
,
Not even for Thy love,d iv ines t gi ft
,
But for Thysel f,the Pe rfec t Holy One
,
E’en to my s igh t a dazzl ing rad iant sun
Whom growing v i s ion shal l l ove mo re and more .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XX
THE MEASURE
THOU who hast gi ven so much , my dearest Lord ,
Send me some su re angel i c rod to mete
The bles s ings with wh ich l i fe i s so replete ,
The countle s s merc i es wh ich Thou hast outpou red,
The j oy s wi th wh ich my memory i s s tored,
The beau ty I can see,the cadence sweet
The inner ear can hear,the good complete
Ofsen se an d soul wh ich th i s worl d do th affo rd .
Yet l ike a ch i l d who p rates o f be ing tal l,
I coun t my bles s ings o ’e r ' I say I se e ,
Who ju st perce i ve tha t beauty h ides in th ral l '
I say I l ove ' dear Lord , forgi ve the boast '
Love ’s flood ' gate s open wide,and quench my
ghost
Ofnoth ingnes s in Thine Infin i ty .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXII
NA'ARETH
I N Nazareth , upon i t s southern slope
O f sp r i ngt ime h i l l s ide,ly ing in the sun
Wi th fre sh gras s from the win te r hardly won
And blossoms that begin wi th joy to ope
The l i ly o f the field,i n hel io t rope
And splend id c r im son,such as Sol omon
In glory had not— the Angel i c One
Brought al l to l i fe,wi th those great words of hOpe .
And from the cres t of that fa i r moun tain town
Fa r to the north,the he ight the P rophet s ings
,
The dome of dazzl ing snow,the count ry ’s
c rown ,
The Splend i d maj esty ofHe rmon l ie s,
The joy o fH i s forefather Dav i d ’s eyes
White as the heral d angel ’s rad iant wings .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXI I I
ANNUNC IATION
I N ve rnal days the wingéd angel came
Wi th lowly sal u tat ion to the maid,
And found her calm and s t rong and unafraid ,
Content to know the th ing sh e coul d not name,
L ight i ng wi th in her b reas t that holy fl ame
Which l igh t s the world,fo r which the worl d
had p rayed .
Behold the handmaid o f the Lord, sh e sai d ,
And had no though t of hono r,or o f fame .
So to each one the sec re t mes senge r
Comes S i l en t ly,unsough t
,t o b r i ng God’s word
,
A word c reat i ve a s he b rought to he r .
And each conce i ves a t ruth scarce understood '
Thrice blest t hat sou l whi ch in the V i rgin ’s mood
Can say , Behold the handmaid of the Lord .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXIV
CAPERNAUM
I STOOD among the heap s of broken stones
Once cap i t al and p i l l ar,on the fl oor
O f the centu ri on ’s synagogue ' the door
Through wh ich the Maste r an d H i s chosen ones
Must o ft have pas sed i s here ' and here the groan s
O f s i ck folk sounded,as d i seased an d so re
Men brough t them to the st reet to lay before
That bl es sed Pre sen ce,who cou ld st i l l al l moan s .
This was H i s home,the bl ue lake ’s d iadem
,
He re was the ru le r’s daughte r rai sed,here came
The woman who but touched H i s garmen t ’s hem .
Now desol at ion re ign s ' the s un beat s down
Upon the remnant s of that ancien t town
Wh i ch l i ve s but i n the glory ofHis name .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXV I
THE VO ICE
O VOICE D iv i ne which I have somet imes heard
C l eav ing through darkness and the t roubl ed
n ight,
Ring in my ears,break w i th Thy trenchant
m ight
The sl umber ofmy soul . Speak Thy great word '
Not bread,not b read I ask
,but to be s t i rred
With that s upremest sound wh ich heard a r ight
Mean s consc iou snes s,securi ty
,an d s ight
,
A present heaven,not a hOpe de ferred .
Too much to ask ? Thou givest da ily bread '
Give then th i s word by wh ich men dai ly l ive '
Attune the se ears,un seal these eyes of l ead
To hear,t o se e
,i n inmost depth s to feel
The word Thou dost to each true sou l reveal'
With Th ine own voice to me the message gi ve .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXVI I
THE JORDAN
THIS i s the myst ic place,th i s t urb id stream
Swi ft flow ing toward the Sal t Sea of the P l a in
Between i t s banks of ru shes and of cane,
Thi s i s the river o f the P rophet ’s dream .
From Pisgah’
s l ofty he ight s he saw i t s gleam
When wi th h i s eager dy ing eyes as t rain
He looked u pon the p romi sed lan d in vain,
And th i s flood marked i t s eas tern verge ex t reme .
And more,for he re was the forerunner sen t
,
The vo ice from ou t the wi ldernes s , P repare ,
Make st raight a h ighway for ou r God,repen t
And here H e came 'and bap t i sm be ing ended ,
The heaven s opened,and the dove descended .
O humble st ream,can st thou such glory bear ?
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXV I I I
THE WILDERNESS
U P from the Jordan st raight H i s way He took
To that l one w ilderness,where rocks are hurl e d
And strewn,and p il ed
,as if th e an cien t worl d
In strong convul s ion seethed,and w rithed
,an d
shook,
Which heaved the vall eys up,and sunk each brook
,
And fl ung the mol ten rock l ike ribbon s cu rled
In tw i s t s ofgray around the moun ta in s whirled,
A grim land,of a fierce
,forbidd ing look .
The w i l d beast s haun t i t s barren stony he igh t s,
And wil der v i s ion s came to temp t h im there '
For forty days and forty wea ry n ight s
Alone H e faced H i s mortal selfand s in,
Chaos wi thout,and chaos reigned w i t h in
,
Subdued and conquered by the might o f prayer .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXX
REVELATION
ACQ JAI N T thyselfwith H im ,and be at peace
,
So cried Thy servant in h i s sore d i st re s s,
So every st rong endeavor doth con fess,
The effo rt of the mas ters wi thout cease,
The germ of beauty seeking glad release,
The tran s ient c lothed in an e te rnal dres s,
D umb aspi rat i on s t r i v ing to expres s
The pass ing t ime o f ea rth,by heaven ’s in crease .
L ift u p the ve i l s,O Lord
,that h ide Thy face '
The eager eye s wou ld se e Thee as Thou art ,
Tran scenden t beauty,and ben ignant grace .
My longing sou l comes to Thee to be st i l l ed,
My fin i te in Th ine Infin i te fulfi l l ed,
Come,bles sed Lord I offer Thee my heart '
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXXI
L IGHT
CELESTIAL L i gh t,eternal
,ever young
,
'
Which dawn s wi th hope my wai t i ng eyes to
b les s,
Which clothes the mountai n s i n a royal dres s
Spun from the arch that o’er the heaven s hung
When the new' watered worl d from chaos Sprung,
S t i l l dost thou glow,thy wonder grows no t l ess
,
Transmut ing d ros s to gold ' thou dos t exp res s
Pure j oy,as when the son s o f morn ing sung .
The j ewel hol d s thy secret no t alon e
The region s vast of heaven ’s stu pendou s dome
Dost thou inhab i t ' i n smal l s pace i s shown
Thy maj esty,Revealer
,H ealer
,Friend
,
Effulgence from the L ight of L igh ts,Thou End
,
Our be ing’s s t rong endeavor,and ou r home .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXXII
DAR'NESS
LORD,what a wonder hast Tho u made ou r eyes
,
To se e i n l ight,to be i n darknes s bl ind
,
Yet seeking st i l l,ifhaply they may find
Some ray of hope,some star o f far su rmise
Low hanging in the d i stant h idden skie s,
To poin t the path,to leave the dark beh ind
,
To Show the good,t o cheer the troubled m ind
,
To open up new ways of h igh emp r i s e .
And yet the dark h ides al l . Not only fear
And dread,not only deeds of sin and hate
,
But utmost love i s sh rouded i n it s sphere,
And utmost hel p and succo r i n i t ve i led,
S ince those three awful hou rs when sun l ight
fai l ed,
Nor perfect Love the dark coul d d i ss i pate .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXXIV
THE ENTRY
WITH branches of the palm,and leaves of sp ring,
With hymn s,and garment s i n the roadway spread
,
The people cal led down bless ings on H i s head
Who now the c i ty gates was entering '
And shou l d these cease t r i umphant songs to s ing
The ve ry stones wou l d l ift the ir voice,He said
As H e rode lowly on the ass they led,
Rode l ow ly,coming to h i s own
,the i r ' ing .
So w i th the season s’ swi ft ret u rn ' each year
The new l eaves wave wi th j oy,the forest s ra i se
Thei r h igh hosannas sound ing sweet and clear .
To thee H e comes,and art thou dumb
,oh heart
In al l the gladness can st thou take no part ?
F l ing w i de thy gates,and welcome H im wi th
pra i se .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXXV
THE GARDEN
I F i t i s t rue,and surely i t i s t rue
,
That each so ul t o the measu re o f i t s l ove
Must taste of darknes s,for i t selfmust prove
Despai r,and drink the cup o f my rrh and rue
,
What must have been the sorrow that p ierced th rough
The heart of Jesu s ? dep th s we know not of
Were sounded by that Sou l al l sou l s above,
For utmost l ove the utmos t angu i sh knew .
We humbly bow the head in holy awe
And worsh i p ' nor may ful ly comprehend
The st range mysteriou s workings of the l aw
O f Bles sednes s and G r i e f. Enough for u s
Chri st fathomed i t that n ight,and p roved i t thu s
,
And t rod the b i tter pathway to the end .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXXVI
GETHSEMANE
THIS o l ive t ree,so gnarl ed but l i v ing yet
,
Perchance was w i tnes s of that dreadfu l hou r
Which tempted flesh and soul w i th awful power .
H ere was the agony and bloody sweat '
Thi s shel te red Him,when host s of ev i l me t .
Beneath now blooms a smal l pu re wh i te c ross
flowe r '
Above i t pou rs the sun a golden shower '
I t ho ld s i t s sec ret,and can ne ’e r forget .
A l i t t l e garden,but a sac red place
,
O f al l the world mos t holy bl e s sed one .
Thy Master’s t rial and His conque r i ng grace
Avai led not on ly fo r H imse l f. H i s heart
Fo r thee was b ru i sed to Show thee who thou a rt .
Fathe r,He prayed
,Thy wil l
,no t mine
,be done.
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXXV I I I
THE NINTH HOUR
AFTER the shameful tri al i n the hal l ,
The mocking and the scourging,and the pain
O f Peter’s words to He rod,and aga in
To P i l ate’s j udgmen t ' seat,the royal p all
,
The cros s i t sel f,the v inegar and gal l
The th ieves c lose by,d i sc ipl esh i p proved vain
,
The sco ffing c rowd , His mothe r’s tears l ike ra in
,
There came one moment,bi t te res t of al l .
Ye t i n that c ry , when flesh and sp i ri t fa i l ed,
Last effort Of the awfu l way H e t rod,
Which shook the ea rth,nor le ft the temple
vefled,
In that exceed ing great and b i t te r c ry
Was conques t . The cen tu r i on s tand ing by
Sa id,Tru ly th i s man was the Son of God .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XXXIX
MARTHA
CHRIST sa i d to Martha by her b rothe r’s grave,
I am the resu rrect ion and the l ife
And with What t roubled thoughts he r m ind was
rife '
The l i fe,He sa id , and ye t He freely gave
H i s l i fe,and sav ing others woul d no t save
H imself. The Resu rrect i on ? Chuza ’s wi fe
Had seen H i m in the tomb a t en d was s t rife,
And o’e r her angu i sh swep t,a mighty wave .
And yet that fi rm assu rance kep t he r fai th,
And her reply,the fe rven t I bel ieve
,
H ad not H i s vo i ce rai sed Laza ru s from death,
Had not the grave released i t s fou r day s’ prey ?
A foretaste o f the re su rrec t i on day
She had to b id he r wai t,and not t o grieve .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
XL
VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING
O JOYFUL morn , whose fain te st dawn of day
Behel d what morta l eye s may never se e,
The r i s ing from the dead,the v i cto ry
Concei ved but d imly in the prophet ’s l ay .
Behol d the place,t he sh in ing angel s say
Unto the women coming tearfu ll y
Wi th prec iou s sp i ces fo r the i r min i s t ry
And quest i on ing who shoul d ro ll the stone away .
And there were but t he garmen t s i n the tomb '
The L i fe was l i v ing,and made man i fes t
One l i fe con t i nuous . The fear , the gloom
Were ban i shed on that re su rrect i on morn '
We but l i e down i n fai th and are new born ,
For L ife,unending L ife
,i s death ’s great ques t .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR
THE days are Short,O Time
,I sa id '
The hou rs move fast,—give me a few ,
A b r ie f space ere the days are fled
Give me , for I have work to do .
I have a good and nobl e work,
My Father’
5 work 'to i t shal l bend
My mind and hea rt ' I will not Sh i rk
I f thou the prec iou s hours wilt l end .
Bu t Time moved on,relen t l e s s s t i l l
The work i s all thy Father’s,ch il d
,
The t ime i s His , fo r good or i l l ,
Take what thou can st , nor be begu i led .
Ifthou woul d st choose , and p ick thy days ,
And say, 10 , here to work I come ,
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
VIA V ITAE
I HAD a message from the Lord
H e bade me ri se and seek H i s face,
H e set me in a shady road
That bl oomed wi th beauty and with grace .
I wande red on from flowe r to flowe r,
I breathed the i r perfume wi th del ight '
How sweet ly passed each sunny hou r,
How ful l o fbeau ty eve ry s igh t
Til l almos t I forgot that I
Was bu t a t raveler on the road,
The vale so fa i r,so blue the sky
,
I t seemed i t mus t be my abode .
Then colde r grew the azu re sky ,
The n igh t came down,the flowe rs were gone
,
A voice Spoke to me from on h igh,
Thou fool i sh ch il d,pre ss on
,press on .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
Thi s New Year c la im thy b les sednes s
And cast on H im thy cares .
And forward,forward tu rn thy gaze
,
L i ft up th ine eyes and se e '
The New Year brings unt rodden ways '
Thy God shal l walk with thee .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
RENEWAL
WORN and weary,far beh ind
I le ft the town awhil e,
Once more o ’er Natu re ’s face to find
A grac iou s Father’s smi l e .
The sadnes s that was then my share
To me do th s t i l l be long '
I took i t wi th me as a prayer,
I brough t i t back a song .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
V IS ION
LOO' without and fin d God,
Look with in,He i s here .
What matte rs the road ?
I am of good cheer,
What is there to fear ?
He above,I below '
And the infin i te bond
Shal l hol d me,I know
,
Bo th here and beyond,
Both here and beyond .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
TIME
WE meas ure l i fe with ou r short span o f years,
And count the flying moment s,hou rs
,and days '
Turn back on past de l igh t s a mourn fu l gaze,
Perplex the futu re wi th a thousand fears '
Ch ide Time,who al l the happy pas t endears
,
And bid h im stay h i s course to su i t ou r ways,
No t knowing that h i s fl igh t demand s ou r pra i se,
O r how shal l be exceeds what now appears .'
For Time lead s onward to immo rtal day,
To wh ich the changes se rve u s as a gu ide,
For Time b rings changes,so the poe t s say .
Then welcome change,— I am no longe r l oa th
To b id the years farewel l,for Time i s growth
,
Growth t i l l I wake,and shal l be sa t i sfied .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
TERROR
SCOURGED by some dread or some portentou s fear
O ut from oursel ves an d ou r accu s tomed ease,
How phantom ' l ike the worl d becomes ' The
t rees,
So l i v ing once,but a va in Show appea r
.
The sol i d eart h and al l that we hol d dear,
The hues and forms and al l the s ight s that please,
The ways we walk,become the hum of bees
,
Unce rta in,drowsy
,vague
,where al l was clear .
Then in th i s momen t,when i n chaos fal l s
The fab ri c of an o rdered,shel te red l i fe
,
The sou l eme rges,b reaks i t s p ri son wal l s .
Grea t God,what is th i s Thing wh i ch s tands al one
In al l the un i verse,un seen
,unknown
,
And dumbly gazes toward Thee through the
strife
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
DUAL ITY
How i s i t that the eager m in d del igh t s
In paradoxes S tate an obv iou s fact ,
And St raight the contrary seems true ' there
lacked
I t s fu l l complet ion . Not al one do n igh t s
Devou r t ime,but days ' the earth has he ight s
O f mountain s and has plain s ' no separate ac t
I s whol ly good,or bad
,for i t i s packed
With mot ive s m ixed,and good with ev i l figh t s .
True man,t rue God
,we say , and bow the head ,
He trod those Gal i lean h i l l s i n you th '
As Love embod ied He b roke l i v ing bread .
Does God then walk the eart h,and bles s ings give ?
And can man say , Becau se I l i ve , ye l i ve
Th i s Holy One alone combines al l t ru th .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
REFUGE
B UILD thee , my soul , a safe and sure re t reat
From al l vexat ion s,and from babbl ing men
Who vain ly st rive,and go
,and come again
In the fierce confl i c t o f the busy S t ree t .
F ly back,and to thysel f once more repea t
Wha t thou wi th j oy has t seen . Remember when
That d i stan t l and un folded to thy ken,
And thou d id st walk where t rod H i s ble s sed feet .
The mounta in s that He knew stand there secu re,
And swel l ing h i l l s,wh ich gave H im glad release
From to i l some days ' the l i v ing foun tain s pure
From which He d rank s t i l l flow ' once more I see
The l imp i d wate rs of Lake Gal i l ee,
And to m y tempest s H i s c lear voice says , Peace .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
I
COLD
A B ITTER day,w i th i cy breath
,and ch i l l
,
Low in the sky the bright sun blankly stares '
To leave the co t tage roofthe smoke scarce dares
And chained to s il ence i s the frozen r i l l .
Benumbing qu iet reign s sup reme,and st i l l
The oak i t s m ighty arms to heaven bares,
Mute wi th the angu i sh of unan swered prayers,
And l ike a pal',the col d shrouds val e an d hil l .
Thou too,poor hea rt
,i ce ' bound in sorrow ’s bands
,
Art dumb wi th al l the angu i sh of thy pain '
This numbing cold descende th from God ’s hands,
A mantle to en fold thee with thy dead,
And when the stony ' hearted day has fled,
Wi th n ight the heal ing tears Shall fal l l ike rain .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
I I I
WELCOME
WITH home ' retu rn ing step s,my anx iou s heart
Longs ardently to se e my dear one’s face,
To read her starry eyes,and fondly t race
Each subtl e S ign o fchange ' wi th lov ing art
To bridge the t ime tha t we have been apart,
To hold her c losely in a long embrace,
And in her soft cares s ing han d to place
Some t rue ' l ove token,from a foreign mart .
Alas,no earthly token reaches her '
I open wide my arms,sh e cannot come .
Perchance she knows the tumul t and the st i r
Ofm y great grie f' for she i s gone before
To make the skie s seem dear,and when once more
She welcomes me, I t o o shall be at home .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
V
RECURRENCE
U PB ORNE by Asp i rat ion and by Hope ,
Some ease I find,from al l my heavy grie f
,
Some rays ofcomfort come to m y re l ie f,
And in the darknes s I no l onger grope .
I t i s as i f a door ofheaven d id ope ,
And unto me st reamed ou t i t s bl es sed l ight,
That comforted and cheered my longing s i ght,
As I reposed on Beulah ’s mountain sl ope .
And then,my gr i ef comes su rging back again
,
And al l i s dark around,and far above .
I want her here,her los s i s b i tte r pain
,
And wh il e the bu rn ing tears my sad eyes drench,
I know once more that there i s naught can
quench
Immortal sorrow bu t immortal l ove .
A S C A L L O P S H E L L O F QU I E T
VI I
VIS ION
OH that some holy prophet,as o f old
,
Woul d ask the Lo rd‘fo r me that I might se e '
For when one looked around so fearfully,
E l i sha prayed,and then he saw 'Behol d
The mountai n fu l l o f chariot s o f gold,
And fie ry steeds of heaven ly caval ry
A rrayed to fight for I s rael glor i ou sly,
A mighty host,whose numbers were untold .
E’en here wh il e l i v ing in the flesh there come
Some bles sed rays to sat i s fy Fa i th ’s s ight '
Some rad iance from the everl as t i ng home
S t reams down to eart h,from out the open door
,
A l ong the path o f those gone on be fore ,
From that pu re worl d where God H imsel f gives
l ight .