Touches on The Harp of Nature :: :: University of Virginia Library

Look never upon woman, even tho'
Sinning, as fallen,—for that were to make
One sin inherit all, and from her take
The last, sole step Hope's foot rests on, and throw
Despair 'twixt her and heaven; thou dost owe
Awe to all women, for thy mother's sake!
And thou insultest her, when thou dost break
A jest on woman's virtue; do not show,
But cast the godlike veil of charity

Around, her failings: bring not thou unto
Her cheek the blush of shame, but let thine eye
Be like God's in its sublime modesty!
Which, seeming not to see, tho' it looks thro'
The inmost heart, spares to the sinner's view
His sore offence! Go, do likewise; thus by
Thee treated still as holy, she will try
To seem what she is thought, and grow so too!

2.

Be thou like one of Jacob's angels on
The ladder: one of those beneficent
Good spirits, to poor erring mortals sent;
Tho' thou wert virtue itself, without one
Least speck, yet angels themselves bear upon
Their shoulders wings of light, as if God meant
To emblem thus, how swift on good intent
The act should tread: that virtue is alone
Unwearied readiness to good! Then be
Not proud of virtue, for pride makes it vice!
Bare no one's failings, that the world may see
Thy greater purity; God, too, has eyes;
But He in secret sees, corrects likewise
In secret! He points not, vain fool! like thee,
Scorn's slow, insulting finger, neither cries,
Tho' He is God, ‘how different from me!’

3.

Then handle woman's name more gently than
Thou would'st the budding rose: scarce breathe upon
It with Respect's hushed breath; touch not, not one
Of her least failings which in love began:

Their source should make them holy! For, O man,
'Twas love to thee which prompted them alone.
And wilt thou visit on her head thine own
Offences? because thy love had not span
Enough t' embrace all that it held most dear,
And yield it all for her sake, wilt thou be
A brute to her for doing so to thee?
For doing what thou could'st not, with thy fear
Of consequences, thy cold head, which aye
Makes thy love but fine talk! but she is near,
Far nearer, unto God, yea, by her ve-
Ry faults, than thou by all thy virtue! yea,
Better it is with love to go astray,
Than, without love, from error to be free!

4.

How godlike must not love then be, which so
Can sanctify transgression, yea, e'en to
The eye of God himself, who sees all thro'
Love, as seen truest thus? And would'st thou blow
With sullying breath on it, O man! and throw
Away this rose of Paradise, which grew
For thee, earth's one, sole thornless flower, to strew
The bier of all that's great and good below?
O woman! ministering angel, be
Thy name then holy; let none think of thee,
But as the sister, mother, wife; let e'en
The frail be thought of, not as what they've been,
But what they may become! yea, let us see
The good alone, and, labouring in love,
By love work miracles, like Him above!

5.

Do we not of the rose itself require
That it be quite a rose, and give forth scent,
Knowing that God the means thereto hath lent?
And shall we less of woman? No! the higher
We deem of her, the more will she aspire;
Ask the Godlike of her, she'll yield it too,
Sure as the rose its divine scent can do.
But there be some, who laugh at chivalry,
Love, faith, and all high feeling; these are they
Who from God's altar snatch the fire away,
Who break each charm of life, and now would try
To trouble the springhead of poesy,
Of godlike thought and godlike act, and make
Its once pure waters no more fit to slake
Man's divine thirst! Yea, these men now would prove
Woman no more divine, not e'en by love,
Which is her being, as God's too! but let
Her love on still, and man will not forget
In her the angel sent him from the sky!