18
[Christ, for whose only Love I keep me clean]
Osculo oris sui osculetur me.
Christ, for whose only Love I keep me clean
Among the palaces of Babylon,
I would not Thou should'st reckon me with them
Who miserly would count each golden stone
That flags the street of Thy Jerusalem—
Who, having touched and tasted, heard and seen,
Half-drunken yet from earthly revelries,
Would wipe with flower-wreathed hair Thy bleeding Feet,
Jostling about Thee but to stay the heat
Of pale parched lips in Thy cool chalices.
‘Our cups are emptiness—how long? how long
‘Before that Thou wilt pour us of Thy wine,
‘Thy sweet new wine, that we may thirst no more?
‘Our lamps are darkness,—open day of Thine,
‘Surely is light to spare behind that door,
‘Where God is Sun, and Saints a starry throng.’
But I, how little profit were to me
Tho' mine the twelve foundations of the skies,
With this green world of love an age below:—
The soft remembrance of those human eyes
Would pale the everlasting jewel-glow;
And o'er the perfect passionless minstrelsy
A voice would sound the decachords above,
Deadening the music of the Living Land—
Thou madest, Thou knowest, Thou wilt understand,
And stay me with the Apples of Thy love.
My Christ, remember that betrothal day;
Blessed be He that cometh was the song:
Glad as the Hebrew boys who cried Hosanna,
O'er hearts thick-strewn as palms they passed along,
To reap in might the fields of heavenly manna—
These were the bridesmen in their white array.
Soon hearts and eyes were lifted up to Thee:
Deep in dim glories of the Sanctuary,
Between the thunderous Alleluia-praise,
Through incense-hazes that encompassed Thee,
I saw the priestly hands Thyself upraise—
Heaven sank to earth—earth leapt to heaven for me.
Rise, Peter, rise; He standeth on the shore,
The thrice-denied of Pilate's Judgement Hall:
His hand is o'er the shingle lest thou fall;
He wipes thy bitter tears for evermore.
‘Lovest thou?’ My belovèd, answer me,
Of Thine all-knowledge show me only this—
Tarrieth the answer? Lo, the House of Bread;
Lo, God and man made one in Mary's kiss
Bending in rapture o'er the manger bed.
I with the holy kings will go and see.
