Poems of Nature, part 6, Religious Poems 2

Project Gutenberg EBook, Religious Poems, Part 2., by Whittier
Volume II., The Works of Whittier: Poems of Nature, Poems
Subjective and Reminiscent, Religious Poems
#18 in our series by
John Greenleaf Whittier
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Title: Religious Poems, Part 2., From Poems of Nature,
Poems Subjective and Reminiscent and Religious Poems Volume II.,
The Works of Whittier
Author: John Greenleaf Whittier
Release Date: Dec, 2005 [EBook #9573]
[Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule]
[This file was first posted on October 2,
2003]
Edition: 10

Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
0. START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, RELIGIOUS
POEMS II. ***
This eBook was produced by David Widger [[email protected]
]
POEMS OF NATURE
POEMS SUBJECTIVE AND REMINISCENT
RELIGIOUS POEMS
B Y
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
CONTENTS:
THE ANSWER
THE ETERNAL GOODNESS
THE
COMMON QUESTION
OUR MASTER
THE MEETING

THE CLEAR VISION
DIVINE COMPASSION
THE
PRAYER-SEEKER
THE BREWING OF SOMA
A WOMAN

THE PRAYER OF AGASSIZ
IN QUEST
THE FRIEND'S
BURIAL
A CHRISTMAS CARMEN
VESTA

CHILD-SONGS
THE HEALER
THE TWO ANGELS

OVERRULED
HYMN OF THE DUNKERS
GIVING AND
TAKING
THE VISION OF ECHARD
INSCRIPTIONS
ON
A SUN-DIAL
ON A FOUNTAIN
THE MINISTER'S
DAUGHTER
BY THEIR WORKS
THE WORD
THE BOOK

REQUIREMENT
HELP
UTTERANCE
ORIENTAL
MAXIMS
THE INWARD JUDGE
LAYING UP TREASURE

CONDUCT
AN EASTER FLOWER GIFT
THE MYSTIC'S
CHRISTMAS
AT LAST
WHAT THE TRAVELLER SAID AT
SUNSET
THE "STORY OF IDA"

THE LIGHT THAT IS
FELT
THE TWO LOVES
ADJUSTMENT
HYMNS OF THE
BRAHMO SOMAJ
REVELATION

THE ANSWER.
Spare me, dread angel of reproof,
And let the sunshine weave to-day

Its gold-threads in the warp and woof
Of life so poor and gray.
Spare me awhile; the flesh is weak.
These lingering feet, that fain
would stray
Among the flowers, shall some day seek
The strait and
narrow way.
Take off thy ever-watchful eye,
The awe of thy rebuking frown;

The dullest slave at times must sigh
To fling his burdens down;
To drop his galley's straining oar,
And press, in summer warmth and
calm,
The lap of some enchanted shore
Of blossom and of balm.
Grudge not my life its hour of bloom,
My heart its taste of long desire;

This day be mine: be those to come
As duty shall require.
The deep voice answered to my own,
Smiting my selfish prayers
away;
"To-morrow is with God alone,
And man hath but to-day.
"Say not, thy fond, vain heart within,
The Father's arm shall still be
wide,
When from these pleasant ways of sin
Thou turn'st at
eventide.
"'Cast thyself down,' the tempter saith,
'And angels shall thy feet
upbear.'
He bids thee make a lie of faith,
And blasphemy of prayer.
"Though God be good and free be heaven,
No force divine can love
compel;
And, though the song of sins forgiven
May sound through
lowest hell,
"The sweet persuasion of His voice
Respects thy sanctity of will.

He giveth day: thou hast thy choice
To walk in darkness still;
"As one who, turning from the light,
Watches his own gray shadow

fall,
Doubting, upon his path of night,
If there be day at all!
"No word of doom may shut thee out,
No wind of wrath may
downward whirl,
No swords of fire keep watch about
The open
gates of pearl;
"A tenderer light than moon or sun,
Than song of earth a sweeter
hymn,
May shine and sound forever on,
And thou be deaf and dim.
"Forever round the Mercy-seat
The guiding lights of Love shall burn;

But what if, habit-bound, thy feet
Shall lack the will to turn?
"What if thine eye refuse to see,
Thine ear of Heaven's free welcome
fail,
And thou a willing captive be,
Thyself thy own dark jail?
"Oh, doom beyond the saddest guess,
As the long years of God unroll,

To make thy dreary selfishness
The prison of a soul!
"To doubt the love that fain would break
The fetters from thy
self-bound limb;
And dream that God can thee forsake
As thou
forsakest Him!"
1863.
THE ETERNAL GOODNESS.
O friends! with whom my feet have trod
The quiet aisles of prayer,

Glad witness to your zeal for God
And love of man I bear.
I trace your lines of argument;
Your