I NEED Thee, O my Food,
O Christ, for whom I pine fourteen long days—
And, as the time delays,
More sad my mood,
More faint my powers;
Like that poor Beast of fairy-tale,
Who by the fountain cowers,
Reft of his Beauty, his poor love’s avail,
By whom he lives, and, missing, dies
By inches, at the fountain, with wan eyes!
O come, my Beauty, come,
My Lord, by whom I flourish and am strong;
If I must wait so long,
And mourn so dumb,
Reach me in time,
Before I shudder into death and die!
Bow down sublime,
O Beautiful in pity, where I lie,
And rouse me, sovereign, from my woe,
Empowering me with Thy celestial glow!
THE HOUR OF NEED
O MOTHER of my Lord,
Beautiful Mary, aid!
He, whom thy will adored,
When thy body was afraid,
Is coming in my flesh to dwell—
Pray for me, Mary ... and white Gabriel!
To thee He came a child,
To me He comes as wheat:
And He descended mild
To His Mother, as was meet.
To me He comes where sin hath been ...
Gabriel, sweep thy lily-stem between!
He came, O Mary, down
To bless thy virgin womb:
From me He sweeps God’s frown,
And He lifts me from a tomb.
Thou wert afraid.... Have grace toward me!
Help me, O Mary! Gabriel, hearten me!
Great love it was to give
His Body to thy care,
In thine awhile to live:
For me this love He will dare....
Pray, Mary, pray! My soul is shent!
Thy wings, thy wings, O Gabriel, for my tent!
EXTREME UNCTION
SOFT fall the Holy Oils, their drip
Peaceful as Jesus sleeping on the ship.
Our eyes, so restless and so full of grip,
Reflecting as the sea,
Give up their range and their possession, free
As if to sleep—the sleep of Deity.
Upon the ears a lull that dowers
With gentleness of bees in laurel-flowers;
So that it gives to Quiet breeding powers,
A future wrought of gold,
When we shall hear what never hath been told,
And fathom sound it takes all heaven to hold.