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I hush'd the exclamation, for he seem'd
To hear it; turn'd his head, and look'd all round,
As if an eye invisible beheld him,
A voice had spoken out of solitude:
—Yea, such an eye beheld him, such a voice
Had spoken; but they were not mine: his life
He would have yielded on the spot to see
That eye, to hear that voice, and understand it:
It was the eye of God, the voice of Nature.
All in a moment on his knees he fell;
And, with imploring arms outstretch'd to heaven,
And eyes no longer wet with hopeless tears,
But beaming forth sublime intelligence,
In words through which his heart's pulsation throbb'd,
And made mine tremble to their accents, pray'd:
—“Oh! if there be a Power above all power,
A Light above all light, a Name above
All other names, in heaven and earth; that Power,
That Light, that Name, I call upon!”—He paused,
Bow'd his hoar head with reverence, closed his eyes,
And, with clasp'd hands upon his breast, began
In under tones, that rose in fervency,
Like incense kindled on a holy altar,
Till his whole soul became one tongue of fire,
Of which these words were faint and poor expressions:
—“Oh! if Thou art, Thou knowest that I am:
Behold me, hear me, pity me, despise not
The prayer which—if Thou art—Thou hast inspired,
Or wherefore seek I now a God unknown?
And feel for Thee, if haply I may find
In whom I live and move and have my being?
Reveal Thyself to me; reveal thy power,
Thy light, thy name,—that I may fear, adore,
Obey,—and, oh! that I might love Thee too!
For, if Thou art—it must be—Thou art good;
And I would be the creature of thy goodness:
Oh! hear and answer:—let me know Thou hearest!
—Know that, as surely as Thou art, so surely
My prayer and supplication are accepted!”