Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs By Walter Thornbury. Illustrated by J. Whistler, F. Walker, John Tenniel, J. D. Watson, W. Small, F. Sandys, G. J. Pinwell, T. Morten, M. J. Lawless, and many others |
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The Dedication of the Cathedral.
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 | Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs |  |
The Dedication of the Cathedral.
TEMP. 1401.
William of Wykeham (moribundus) loquitur.
Slow from the basement, measured stone by stone,
Slow as the rings of rind around an oak,
Has grown this building dedicate to God,
Until at last the gilt star of the vane
Gleams in mid-air, and seems to crown the whole
As with a royal seal. Father of Light,
Mercy, and Love, accept this offering,
Poor earthly tabernacle, miserable type
Of heavenly mansions,—opal, chrysopras,
Jacinth, and emerald,—soon by Eden's gate
To meet my gaze, but in His own good time.
Then let the hand of marble effigy
Hold on my tomb the Founder's carvéd shrine,
To show this long and patient work of mine
That's now accomplished. Thunder, tamed to breathe
Forth angels' music, shake the vaulted choir,
Till the great pillars vibrate; harmonies
Soar to the poiséd roof—yes, soar and float,
And bring me foretastes of the heaven beyond.
Slow as the rings of rind around an oak,
Has grown this building dedicate to God,
Until at last the gilt star of the vane
Gleams in mid-air, and seems to crown the whole
As with a royal seal. Father of Light,
Mercy, and Love, accept this offering,
Poor earthly tabernacle, miserable type
Of heavenly mansions,—opal, chrysopras,
Jacinth, and emerald,—soon by Eden's gate
To meet my gaze, but in His own good time.
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Hold on my tomb the Founder's carvéd shrine,
To show this long and patient work of mine
That's now accomplished. Thunder, tamed to breathe
Forth angels' music, shake the vaulted choir,
Till the great pillars vibrate; harmonies
Soar to the poiséd roof—yes, soar and float,
And bring me foretastes of the heaven beyond.
Saints, keep me humble—for this human heart
Is a mere nest of pride, ambition, greed—
Until the Spirit come, the Shekinah,
And dwell within, and claim it all for God.—
Better than trampled vines and shattered mills,
Won by the red-stained lance, to see this house
Raised to God's glory and His ceaseless praise.—
Races may come and go, and kings be born,
Or slain in battle; statesmen shape the world
Unto fresh issues; still men's prayers shall rise
From this my building night and day for aye.—
See the great windows, like the jewelled gates
Of Paradise, burning with harmless fire!
Forests of stone, ye columns, spring in joy,
And bear your holy burden; round ye twine
The wayside flowers, types of God's gracious love,
Sent for their beauty only, to cheer man.
Is a mere nest of pride, ambition, greed—
Until the Spirit come, the Shekinah,
And dwell within, and claim it all for God.—
Better than trampled vines and shattered mills,
Won by the red-stained lance, to see this house
Raised to God's glory and His ceaseless praise.—
Races may come and go, and kings be born,
Or slain in battle; statesmen shape the world
Unto fresh issues; still men's prayers shall rise
From this my building night and day for aye.—
See the great windows, like the jewelled gates
Of Paradise, burning with harmless fire!
Forests of stone, ye columns, spring in joy,
And bear your holy burden; round ye twine
The wayside flowers, types of God's gracious love,
Sent for their beauty only, to cheer man.
Grant me, ye saints, one prayer—only one prayer—
That when the cardinals in crimson train,
The mitred bishops, and the acolytes,
The censer-swingers and the pale meek monks,
Enter the western door, and welcoming hymns
Break forth like birds in Spring, and every face
Turns where the tapers and the banners come,
I may repeat the song of Simeon,
And pass at once as in a summer dream;
My God and Saviour, so I die of joy,
And pass rejoicing to my heavenly home,
Soothed by the thought that in a whirlwind age,
Mid clash of swords and flights of crossbow bolts
And darkening arrows, I have helped to bring
Thoughts of a purer, nobler life to some,
And reared a refuge for Faith, Hope, and Love.
That when the cardinals in crimson train,
The mitred bishops, and the acolytes,
The censer-swingers and the pale meek monks,
Enter the western door, and welcoming hymns
Break forth like birds in Spring, and every face
Turns where the tapers and the banners come,
I may repeat the song of Simeon,
And pass at once as in a summer dream;
My God and Saviour, so I die of joy,
And pass rejoicing to my heavenly home,
Soothed by the thought that in a whirlwind age,
Mid clash of swords and flights of crossbow bolts
And darkening arrows, I have helped to bring
Thoughts of a purer, nobler life to some,
And reared a refuge for Faith, Hope, and Love.
| Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs | |