Giant Hours with Poet Preachers

by William L. Stidger

"But our bo'sin Bill was an atheist still
Ex-cept—sometimes—in the dark!"

Collected Poems by Alfred Noyes.

And again from "The Paradox":

"Flashing forth as a flame,
The unnameable Name,
The ineffable Word,
I am the Lord!"

"I am the End to which the whole world strives:
Therefore are ye girdled with a wild desire and shod
With sorrow; for among you all no soul
Shall ever cease, or sleep, or reach its goal
Of union and communion with the Whole
Or rest content with less than being God."

Collected Poems by Alfred Noyes.

And thus we find God, with Noyes. And I have saved for the last quotation one from "The Origin of Life," which the poet says is "Written in answer to certain scientific theories." I save it for the last because, strangely, it sums up all the journey that we have passed through, from childhood to God-hood:

"Watched the great hills like clouds arise and set,
And one—named Olivet;
When you have seen as a shadow passing away,
One child clasp hands and pray;
When you have seen emerge from that dark mire
One martyr ringed with fire;
Or, from that Nothingness, by special grace
One woman's love-lit face…."

* * * * *

"Dare you re-kindle then,
One faith for faithless men,
And say you found, on that dark road you trod,
In the beginning, God?"