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 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
XLI. CARO FACTUS EST.
When from beneath the Almighty Hand
The suns and systems rushed abroad
Like coursers which have burst their band
Or torrents when the ice is thawed;
The suns and systems rushed abroad
Like coursers which have burst their band
Or torrents when the ice is thawed;
When round in luminous orbits flung
The great stars gloried in their might;
Still, still a bridgeless gulf there hung
'Twixt Finite things and Infinite.
The great stars gloried in their might;
Still, still a bridgeless gulf there hung
'Twixt Finite things and Infinite.
That crown of light Creation wore
Was girdled by the abysmal black;
And all of natural good she bore
Confessed her supernatural lack.
Was girdled by the abysmal black;
And all of natural good she bore
Confessed her supernatural lack.
157
For what is Nature at the best?
An arch suspended in its spring;
An altar step without a priest;
A throne whereon there sits no king.
An arch suspended in its spring;
An altar step without a priest;
A throne whereon there sits no king.
As one stone-blind that fronts the morn
The World before her Maker stood
Uplifting suppliant hands forlorn,
God's creature yet how far from God!
The World before her Maker stood
Uplifting suppliant hands forlorn,
God's creature yet how far from God!
O Shepherd Good! The trackless deep
He pierced, that Lost One to restore!
His Universe, a wildered sheep,
Upon His shoulder home He bore!
He pierced, that Lost One to restore!
His Universe, a wildered sheep,
Upon His shoulder home He bore!
That Universe His Priestly robe,
The Kingly Pontiff raised on high
The worship of the starry globe:—
The gulf was bridged, and God was nigh.
The Kingly Pontiff raised on high
The worship of the starry globe:—
The gulf was bridged, and God was nigh.
| The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere | |