Madmoments: or First Verseattempts By a Bornnatural. Addressed to the Lightheaded of Society at Large, by Henry Ellison |
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ON WELLDOING. |
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 | Madmoments: or First Verseattempts |  |
ON WELLDOING.
1.
When thou hast done a Gooddeed do not showIt with thy Finger, neither let it be
Profaned: else it will come back unto thee
Like to a handled Flower, where the Glow
Of Hue, and Sweetness of the Perfume no
More dwell: upon God's Altar, with all the
First Freshness on it, place it, and then he
Will make its Perfume everlasting, so
'Twill be a Joy for aye: there are but two
To whom it matters that thy Deeds be known:
God and thyself: and if to these alone
They be so, then rejoice thereat, for you
Thus know them to be Gooddeeds, in the true
And sublime Sense—true, like thy Father's own!
2.
And he will recompense thee fully: byThy Feelings—he will make these godlike—yea,
Thou shalt feel even as God himself may!
And how can he reward thee, save thro' thy
Own Feelings? can the Godlike palpably
Make itself known in any other Way?
And if thou feel'st not thyself godlike, pray
Can it pass into thee by Ear or Eye?
Then fear not—if thou aught Godlike hast done,
Thou canst not miss of one Reward, the best—
Thy Feelings—in which each has a sure Test.
For where these are not Godlike first, there none
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Assured that each a full Reward has won:
There is none else for him beneath the Sun.
Nay, could he wish another, then what he
Has done would be no more Godlike: thus the
Mere Doing Good its own Reward implies,
For we must feel Godlike to do it!—so,
So surely, unto Virtue the allwise
Creator joins its Recompense below!
3.
Then do thou Good like to thy Father upIn Heaven! so, so stilly, modestly,
That what thy Righthand does thine upraised Eye
Behold not! so, that when thou hold'st the Cup
To the poor Beggar, thou feel'st not that thy,
But God's, Hand gives it: and then verily
If thou feel'st thus, 'twill be no longer thine:
'Twill be thy Father's, holding the divine
And brimming cup of Love, as well to thee
As to that Beggar: and the Draught shall be
A Foretaste of that Heaven which is nigh,
So nigh! as is the Tear unto thine Eye,
The godlike Feeling to thine Heart! do as
Thy Father then, who lets us work the Good
And Godlike as if of ourselves it was,
And not of Him! who asks for nothing: no
Not e'en the Thanks which all Things to Him owe:
E'en for the Good himself does in us:—thus
In doing Good he with the godlike Thought
Of doing it is paid, nor seeks for aught
Beyond: and if he were not this Way by
Himself repaid, how could he worthily
Or by whom be rewarded—? it is this
That makes him God, and sums up all his Bliss!
All Joy he feels, all Good done doth he do,
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His own, which makes him what he only is!
| Madmoments: or First Verseattempts | |