1.
“Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid,
be ye very desolate, saith the Lord.”
My Lord and God, I see Thee standing bare,
Reft of Thy robes, and shuddering at the sight
Of executioners, that try their might
In mock essays, and rods and cords prepare.
And now the lictor band are entering there;
The morning throws askant her cold grey light,
But more and more the while a tenfold night
Possession takes of that dread theatre;
For Thou, who art the Sun of Righteousness,
Withdrawest all Thy beams—in sore distress;
As wanton soldiery are closing round,
And evil spirits have their senses drowned
In cruelty;—while, to the pillar bound,
Thou wait'st the stroke in shivering nakedness.
