Madmoments: or First Verseattempts By a Bornnatural. Addressed to the Lightheaded of Society at Large, by Henry Ellison |
 | I. |
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TO THE SPIRIT OF HUMANITY. |
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| II. |
 | Madmoments: or First Verseattempts |  |
TO THE SPIRIT OF HUMANITY.
To thee divinest Spirit, kneeling low,I, on thine Altar, offer up my Heart;
Accept it: purify the baser Part,
And fill it with thy holy Flame, e'en tho'
Therewith't must be consumed; enough, if no
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Aught earthly to that sacred Flame — thou art
My Muse; thou touch'dst my Heart, and thence did flow
The Poesy of Life, for there alone
The Springhead is. And eversince the Day,
When on thy divine Breast, a Child I lay,
And to thy mighty Heart attuned mine own,
Sweeter than Minstrelssong or Poetslay,
Has ever seemed to me the simplest Tone
Of human Love, to cheer me on my Way!
And now, great Spirit, thankfully I kneel
And ask of thee nought more, than still to feel
And be a Man, before all else — not Fame,
Nor Garland for my Brow, nor Wealth, nor Name,
I ask, but only in my Breast an Heart,
In all Man's Joys and Griefs to take a Part!
| Madmoments: or First Verseattempts | |