 | Sonnets and Other Poems Chiefly Religious |  |
105
A LOST TALENT.
The summer ended, and the harvest past,
And I not saved! the talent that was Thine
Lost, and for ever! Must I hear the doom
“Wicked and slothful servant!” from Thy lips?
Wicked perhaps, and foolish certainly,
And yet not slothful; no, I did not shrink
In sloth from labour; and I did not hide
Thy talent in the earth for fear of Thee;
Nor was I wicked; for I did not waste
In riotous life the substance that was Thine;
But with Thy gold I built a goodly house—
A house of cedar—to adorn Thy lands.
But was it for thy service that I built?
Or was it but to glorify myself?
Thou only knowest, to Whom all hearts are known!
I built what pleased myself. I should have built
Of stone and marble, to withstand the fire;
I should have built of Thine from base to cope—
Christ the foundation, Christ the crowning stone!
But this seemed slow and costly; and I longed
For praise of men. And I had my reward;
For all men praised my building. But the flash
Fell from the heavens; the beams of cedar burned
Like faggots, hay, and stubble; I was saved
With loss of all, and only saved through fire.
Naked my mother bare me, and I come
Naked before my Judge.
And I not saved! the talent that was Thine
Lost, and for ever! Must I hear the doom
“Wicked and slothful servant!” from Thy lips?
Wicked perhaps, and foolish certainly,
And yet not slothful; no, I did not shrink
In sloth from labour; and I did not hide
Thy talent in the earth for fear of Thee;
Nor was I wicked; for I did not waste
In riotous life the substance that was Thine;
But with Thy gold I built a goodly house—
A house of cedar—to adorn Thy lands.
But was it for thy service that I built?
Or was it but to glorify myself?
Thou only knowest, to Whom all hearts are known!
I built what pleased myself. I should have built
Of stone and marble, to withstand the fire;
I should have built of Thine from base to cope—
Christ the foundation, Christ the crowning stone!
But this seemed slow and costly; and I longed
For praise of men. And I had my reward;
106
Fell from the heavens; the beams of cedar burned
Like faggots, hay, and stubble; I was saved
With loss of all, and only saved through fire.
Naked my mother bare me, and I come
Naked before my Judge.
Yet, O my Lord,
On no foundation did I seek to build
Save that which Thou hadst laid. Behold and see—
The fire has burnt it bare—I based my house
On Thy foundation; but I built the walls,
The pillars, and the arches of the roof,
Of substance unapproved of Thee; and now
I see its worthlessness revealed in fire.
O Judge and Saviour! can it ever be
On no foundation did I seek to build
Save that which Thou hadst laid. Behold and see—
The fire has burnt it bare—I based my house
On Thy foundation; but I built the walls,
The pillars, and the arches of the roof,
Of substance unapproved of Thee; and now
I see its worthlessness revealed in fire.
The ocean of eternity shall roll
Back to my feet the talent I have lost?
'Twere worth an agelong night of doubt and fear
And weary toil in drawing empty nets,
To see Thee stand upon the beach at dawn,
And hear Thy voice, “Let down the net once more!”
And cast, and draw, and find it filled for Thee!
| Sonnets and Other Poems Chiefly Religious | |