The Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti Edited with Preface and Notes by William M. Rossetti: Revised and Enlarged Edition |
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The Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti | ||
PRAISE AND PRAYER
Doubt spake no word in me as there I kneeled.Loathing, I could not praise: I could not thank
God for the cup of evil that I drank:
I dared not cry upon His strength to shield
My soul from weapons it was bent to wield
Itself against itself. And so I sank
Into the furnished phrases smooth and blank
Which we all learn in childhood,—and did yield
A barren prayer for life. My voice might mix
With hers, but mingled not. Hers was a full
Grand burst of music, which the crownèd Seven
Must have leaned sideways from their seats to fix
In their calm minds. The seraph-songs fell dull
Doubtless, when heard again, throughout all heaven.
The Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti | ||