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15
THE CHILDREN.
I am the children's hearts' delight,
Their sun by day, their moon by night;
Their light, their warmth; and all their bliss
To be wherever Mother is.
Their sun by day, their moon by night;
Their light, their warmth; and all their bliss
To be wherever Mother is.
And when I go I must cast off
Small hands constraining me in love;
And when they leave me they are sent
Into an outer banishment.
Small hands constraining me in love;
And when they leave me they are sent
Into an outer banishment.
The children have me in their dreams
Between the star-beams and moon-beams;
They name me in their prayer and play:
With Mother, Mother, all the day.
Between the star-beams and moon-beams;
They name me in their prayer and play:
With Mother, Mother, all the day.
I am their centre of all things.
The innocent love's burnt-offerings
Laid on my altar send on high
Sweet smoke of incense in my sky.
The innocent love's burnt-offerings
Laid on my altar send on high
Sweet smoke of incense in my sky.
Dear God, while they are little, see,
They love Thee hidden, loving me;
And being too young to know indeed
Set up their mother in Thy stead.
They love Thee hidden, loving me;
And being too young to know indeed
Set up their mother in Thy stead.
Thou who hast willed we mothers should
Through the sweet years of babyhood
Take Thy place with the children, yea,
Be God and Heaven of their small day,—
Through the sweet years of babyhood
Take Thy place with the children, yea,
Be God and Heaven of their small day,—
16
Remember when Thou wast like these,
Thou Babe that lay on Mary's knees,
When all Thy Heaven was Mother's eyes,
And all Heaven's music lullabies.
Thou Babe that lay on Mary's knees,
When all Thy Heaven was Mother's eyes,
And all Heaven's music lullabies.
Thou who didst follow at her skirt
Have pity on my low desert;
Thy proxy, vice-regent, lest I,
Unworthy of my destiny,
Have pity on my low desert;
Thy proxy, vice-regent, lest I,
Unworthy of my destiny,
Show a blurred image of Thy face.
Yea, make me a true looking-glass
Wherein the children shall surmise
As darkly through a glass Thine eyes.
Yea, make me a true looking-glass
Wherein the children shall surmise
As darkly through a glass Thine eyes.
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