 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
112
LXIX. THE FOURTH DOLOUR.
(The Meeting on Calvary.)
She stands before Him on the Road:
He bears the Cross; He climbs the Steep:
Three times He sinks beneath His load:
He sinks to earth: she does not weep.
He bears the Cross; He climbs the Steep:
Three times He sinks beneath His load:
He sinks to earth: she does not weep.
She may not touch that Cross whose weight
Against His will a stranger bears:
In heart to bear it, and to wait,
His upward footsteps, this is hers.
Against His will a stranger bears:
In heart to bear it, and to wait,
His upward footsteps, this is hers.
She may not prop that thorn-crowned Head:
The waves of men between them break:
Another's hand the veil must spread
Against that forehead and that cheek.
The waves of men between them break:
Another's hand the veil must spread
Against that forehead and that cheek.
Her eyes on His are fastened. Lo!
There stand they, met on Calvary's height,
Twin mirrors of a single woe
Made by reflection infinite.
There stand they, met on Calvary's height,
Twin mirrors of a single woe
Made by reflection infinite.
The sons of Sion round them rave:
The Roman trumpet storms the wind:
They goad him on with spear and stave:
He passes by: she drops behind.
The Roman trumpet storms the wind:
They goad him on with spear and stave:
He passes by: she drops behind.
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