第 11 节
作者:辛苦      更新:2022-04-12 11:59      字数:9321
  10。
  With every morn my life afresh must break
  The crust of self; gathered about me fresh;
  That thy wind…spirit may rush in and shake
  The darkness out of me; and rend the mesh
  The spider…devils spin out of the flesh
  Eager to net the soul before it wake;
  That it may slumberous lie; and listen to the snake。
  11。
  'Tis that I am not goodthat is enough;
  I pry no fartherthat is not the way。
  Here; O my potter; is thy making stuff!
  Set thy wheel going; let it whir and play。
  The chips in me; the stones; the straws; the sand;
  Cast them out with fine separating hand;
  And make a vessel of thy yielding clay。
  12。
  What if it take a thousand years to make me;
  So me he leave not; angry; on the floor!
  Nay; thou art never angry!that would break me!
  Would I tried never thy dear patience sore;
  But were as good as thou couldst well expect me;
  Whilst thou dost make; I mar; and thou correct me!
  Then were I now content; waiting for something more。
  13。
  Only; my God; see thou that I content thee
  Oh; take thy own content upon me; God!
  Ah; never; never; sure; wilt thou repent thee;
  That thou hast called thy Adam from the clod!
  Yet must I mourn that thou shouldst ever find me
  One moment sluggish; needing more of the rod
  Than thou didst think when thy desire designed me。
  14。
  My God; it troubles me I am not better。
  More help; I pray; still more。 Thy perfect debtor
  I shall be when thy perfect child I am grown。
  My Father; help meam I not thine own?
  Lo; other lords have had dominion o'er me;
  But now thy will alone I set before me:
  Thy own heart's lifeLord; thou wilt not abhor me!
  15。
  In youth; when once again I had set out
  To find thee; Lord; my life; my liberty;
  A window now and then; clouds all about;
  Would open into heaven: my heart forlorn
  First all would tremble with a solemn glee;
  Then; whelmed in peace; rest like a man outworn;
  That sees the dawn slow part the closed lids of the morn。
  16。
  Now I grow old; and the soft…gathered years
  Have calmed; yea dulled the heart's swift fluttering beat;
  But a quiet hope that keeps its household seat
  Is better than recurrent glories fleet。
  To know thee; Lord; is worth a many tears;
  And when this mildew; age; has dried away;
  My heart will beat again as young and strong and gay。
  17。
  Stronger and gayer tenfold!but; O friends;
  Not for itself; nor any hoarded bliss。
  I see but vaguely whither my being tends;
  All vaguely spy a glory shadow…blent;
  Vaguely desire the 〃individual kiss;〃
  But when I think of God; a large content
  Fills the dull air of my gray cloudy tent。
  18。
  Father of me; thou art my bliss secure。
  Make of me; maker; whatsoe'er thou wilt。
  Let fancy's wings hang moulting; hope grow poor;
  And doubt steam up from where a joy was spilt
  I lose no time to reason it plain and clear;
  But fly to thee; my life's perfection dear:
  Not what I think; but what thou art; makes sure。
  19。
  This utterance of spirit through still thought;
  This forming of heart…stuff in moulds of brain;
  Is helpful to the soul by which 'tis wrought;
  The shape reacting on the heart again;
  But when I am quite old; and words are slow;
  Like dying things that keep their holes for woe;
  And memory's withering tendrils clasp with effort vain?
  20。
  Thou; then as now; no less wilt be my life;
  And I shall know it better than before;
  Praying and trusting; hoping; claiming more。
  》From effort vain; sick foil; and bootless strife;
  I shall; with childness fresh; look up to thee;
  Thou; seeing thy child with age encumbered sore;
  Wilt round him bend thine arm more carefully。
  21。
  And when grim Death doth take me by the throat;
  Thou wilt have pity on thy handiwork;
  Thou wilt not let him on my suffering gloat;
  But draw my soul outgladder than man or boy;
  When thy saved creatures from the narrow ark
  Rushed out; and leaped and laughed and cried for joy;
  And the great rainbow strode across the dark。
  22。
  Against my fears; my doubts; my ignorance;
  I trust in thee; O father of my Lord!
  The world went on in this same broken dance;
  When; worn and mocked; he trusted and adored:
  I too will trust; and gather my poor best
  To face the truth…faced false。 So in his nest
  I shall awake at length; a little scarred and scored。
  23。
  Things cannot look all right so long as I
  Am not all right who seetherefore not right
  Can see。 The lamp within sends out the light
  Which shows the things; and if its rays go wry;
  Or are not white; they must part show a lie。
  The man; half…cured; did men not trees conclude;
  Because he moving saw what else had seemed a wood。
  24。
  Give me; take from me; as thou wilt。 I learn
  Slowly and stubbornly I learn to yield
  With a strange hopefulness。 As from the field
  Of hard…fought battle won; the victor chief
  Turns thankfully; although his heart do yearn;
  So from my old things to thy new I turn;
  With sad; thee…trusting heart; and not in grief。
  25。
  If with my father I did wander free;
  Floating o'er hill and field where'er we would;
  And; lighting on the sward before the door;
  Strange faces through the window…panes should see;
  And strange feet standing where the loved had stood;
  The dear old place theirs all; as ours before
  Should I be sorrowful; father; having thee?
  26。
  So; Lord; if thou tak'st from me all the rest;
  Thyself with each resumption drawing nigher;
  It shall but hurt me as the thorn of the briar;
  When I reach to the pale flower in its breast。
  To have thee; Lord; is to have all thy best;
  Holding it by its very life divine
  To let my friend's hand go; and take his heart in mine。
  27。
  Take from me leisure; all familiar places;
  Take all the lovely things of earth and air
  Take from me books; take all my precious faces;
  Take words melodious; and their songful linking;
  Take scents; and sounds; and all thy outsides fair;
  Draw nearer; taking; and; to my sober thinking;
  Thou bring'st them nearer all; and ready to my prayer。
  28。
  No place on earth henceforth I shall count strange;
  For every place belongeth to my Christ。
  I will go calm where'er thou bid'st me range;
  Whoe'er my neighbour; thou art still my nighest。
  Oh my heart's life; my owner; will of my being!
  Into my soul thou every moment diest;
  In thee my life thus evermore decreeing。
  29。
  What though things change and pass; nor come again!
  Thou; the life…heart of all things; changest never。
  The sun shines on; the fair clouds turn to rain;
  And glad the earth with many a spring and river。
  The hearts that answer change with chill and shiver;
  That mourn the past; sad…sick; with hopeless pain;
  They know not thee; our changeless heart and brain。
  30。
  My halting words will some day turn to song
  Some far…off day; in holy other times!
  The melody now prisoned in my rimes
  Will one day break aloft; and from the throng
  Of wrestling thoughts and words spring up the air;
  As from the flower its colour's sweet despair
  Issues in odour; and the sky's low levels climbs。
  31。
  My surgent thought shoots lark…like up to thee。
  Thou like the heaven art all about the lark。
  Whatever I surmise or know in me;
  Idea; or but symbol on the dark;
  Is living; working; thought…creating power
  In thee; the timeless father of the hour。
  I am thy book; thy songthy child would be。
  NOVEMBER
  1。
  THOU art of this world; Christ。 Thou know'st it all;
  Thou know'st our evens; our morns; our red and gray;
  How moons; and hearts; and seasons rise and fall;
  How we grow weary plodding on the way;
  Of future joy how present pain bereaves;
  Rounding us with a dark of mere decay;
  Tossed with a drift Of summer…fallen leaves。
  2。
  Thou knowest all our weeping; fainting; striving;
  Thou know'st how very hard it is to be;
  How hard to rouse faint will not yet reviving;
  To do the pure thing; trusting all to thee;
  To hold thou art there; for all no face we see;
  How hard to think; through cold and dark and dearth;
  That thou art nearer now than when eye…seen on earth。
  3。
  Have pity on us for the look of things;
  When blank denial stares us in the face。
  Although the serpent mask have lied before;
  It fascinates the bird that darkling sings;
  And numbs the little prayer…bird's beating wings。
  For how believe thee somewhere in blank space;
  If through the darkness come no knocking to our door?
  4。
  If we might sit until the darkness go;
  Possess our souls in patience perhaps we might;
  But there is always something to be done;
  And no heart left to do it。 To and fro
  The dull thought surges; as the driven waves fight
  In gulfy channels。 Oh! victorious one;
  Give strength to rise; go out; and meet thee in the night。
  5。
  〃Wake; thou that sleepest; rise up from the dead;
  And Christ will give thee light。〃 I do not know
  What sleep is; what is death; or what is light;
  But I am waked enough to feel a woe;
  To rise and leave death。 Stumbling through the night;
  To my dim lattice; O calling Christ! I go;
  And out into the dark look for thy star…crowned head。
  6。
  There are who come to me; and write; and send;
  Whom I would love; giving good things to all;
  But friendthat name I cannot on them spend;
  'Tis from the centre of self…love they call
  For cherishingfor which they first must know
  How to be still; and take the