Natheless there grew and stayed upon his face
The wonderful unconquerable grace
Of a young man made beautiful with love;
Because the thought of God was wholly spread
Like love upon it; and still fair above
All crownèd heads of kings remained his head
Whereon the halo of the Lord was shed.
Ah, how long was it, since the first red rush
Of that surpassing thought made his cheek blush
With pleasure, as he sat—a tender child—
And wondered at the desert, and the long
Rough prickly paths that led out to the wild
Where all the men of God, holy and strong,
Had dwelt and purified themselves—how long?—
Before he rose up from his knees one day,
And felt that he was purified as they;
That he had trodden out the sin at last,
And that the light was filling him within?
How many of the months and years had past
Uncounted?—But the place he was born in
No longer knew him: no man was his kin.
O then it was a most sweet, holy will
That came upon him, making his soul thrill
With joy indeed, and with a perfect trust,—
For he soon thought of men and of the king
All tempted in the world, with gold and lust,
And women there, and every fatal thing,
And none to save their souls from perishing—
And so he vowed that he would go forth straight
From God there in the desert, with the great
Unearthliness upon him, and adjure
The nations of the whole world with his voice;
Until they should resist each pleasant lure
Of gold and woman, and make such a choice
As his, that they might evermore rejoice.
Thus beautiful and good was He, at length,
Who came before King Herod in his strength,
And shouted to him with a great command
To purify himself, and put away
That unclean woman set at his right hand;
And after all to bow himself and pray,
And be in terror of the Judgment Day!
He never had seen houses like to that
Fair-columned, cedar-builded one where sat
King Herod. Flawless cedar was each beam,
Wrought o’er with flaming brass: along the wall
Great brazen images of beasts did gleam,
With wondrous flower-works and palm trees tall;
And folded purples hung about it all.
He never had beheld so many thrones,
As those of ivory and precious stones
Whereon the noble company was raised
About the king:—he never had seen gems
So costly, nor so wonderful as blazed
Upon their many crowns and diadems,
And trailed upon their garments’ trodden hems:
But he had seen in mighty Lebanon
The cedars no man’s axe hath lit upon;
And he had often worshipped, falling down
In dazzling temples opened straight to him,
Where One who had great lightnings for His crown
Was suddenly made present, vast and dim
Through crowded pinions of the Cherubim!
Wherefore he had no fear to stand and shout
To all men in the place, and there to flout
Those fair and fearful women who were seen
Quite triumphing in that work of their smile
To shame a goodly king. And he cast, e’en
A sudden awe that undid for a while
The made-up shameless visages of guile.