THE ATHANASIAN CREED.
O warning voice, from Truth's eternal shrine
Proceeding, where the great Archangel sings,
Through three-fold arching piles, on sounds divine,
And the live thunder of melodious wings
Rising in adoration! Mother dear,
To thy mysterious breast my spirit clings
Then most, when that appalling voice I hear:—
There at the sound of those thy stern alarms
I hide, and on the world look back and fear;
For she would tempt me from thy sheltering arms,
And stop thy voice, which baffled Pride disdains,
And the dread sound of never-dying harms.
Vain thought! th'o'erwhelming Future yet remains,
Though Ebal and Gerizim's voice be still,
The everlasting Now and penal chains.
And from Thine accents hide us as we will,
Death draws aside the screen. Then wherefore flee
With birds of darkness to the caves of ill?
Rather in garb of our deep poverty
Let us stand forth before Thee, not to gaze,
But tremble, with the heart's adoring knee,
Full in the light of thy meridian blaze.
Nor leave Thou us in the dark mysteries
Of our bad hearts to wander, and in ways
Of our own darkness, lest we, seeming wise,
Shrine Thee in shape of some foul deity,
And in our unbaptized phantasies
Think wickedly that God is such as we,—
Some Jove, or Pan, or Ashtaroth unclean,—
So we may 'scape Thy judgment.—Dread the sea
Of glory which enshrouds Thee, yet unseen,
And in the path whereon Thy light doth burn,
Ere that we pass th'inevitable screen,
Well need we walk and fear: to Thee we turn
For help, nor on Thy glory gaze too bold.
O sternly kind, and kindest when most stern,
Ancient of Mothers, in thy barriers old
With them that love thee is best liberty!
Fain would we hide us in thy sheltering fold.
By thee baptiz'd into the Eternal Three,
Blest Arbitress of holiest discipline,
In the world's freedom let me not be free,
But follow mine own will in following thine.
To Christ our Rock with dripping weeds we cling,
While Ocean roars beneath; fled to thy shrine
May Heav'n's own Dove, on Contemplation's wing,
Be o'er us, nurturing each holier choice,
And all around thy calmer influence bring.
Then let me ever hear thy awful voice,
Deep warning, deep adoring: while we sing
We tremble, but in trembling we rejoice.
