So that my name may perish utterly
From memory of man; so that no sound
Of human voice or footstep may resound
Through the deep portals of my solitude.
There let me purge my sins with penance rude,
The scourge, the midnight vigil, and the fast,
Until I know thee, face to face at last.”
How weak are all this life’s most tempting joys,
Love, wealth, ambition, transitory toys,
To those that flood the lonely anchorite