There no more parting, no more pain, The distant ones brought near, The lost so long are found again, Long lost but longer dear: Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, Nor heart conceived that rest, With them our good things long deferred, With Jesus Christ our Best.
We weep because the night is long, We laugh, for day shall rise, We sing a slow contented song And knock at Paradise. Weeping we hold Him fast Who wept For us,--we hold Him fast; And will not let Him go except He bless us first or last.
Weeping we hold Him fast to-night; We will not let Him go Till daybreak smite our wearied sight, And summer smite the snow: Then figs shall bud, and dove with dove Shall coo the livelong day; Then He shall say, "Arise, My love, My fair one, come away."
"Sweet, thou art pale." "More pale to see, Christ hung upon the cruel tree And bore His Father's wrath for me."
"Sweet, thou art sad." "Beneath a rod More heavy, Christ for my sake trod The winepress of the wrath of God."
"Sweet, thou art weary." "Not so Christ: Whose mighty love of me sufficed For Strength, Salvation, Eucharist."
"Sweet, thou art footsore." "If I bleed, His feet have bled: yea, in my need His Heart once bled for mine indeed."
"Sweet, thou art young." "So He was young Who for my sake in silence hung Upon the Cross with Passion wrung."
"Look, thou art fair." "He was more fair Than men, Who deigned for me to wear A visage marred beyond compare."
"And thou hast riches." "Daily bread: All else is His; Who living, dead, For me lacked where to lay His Head."
"And life is sweet." "It was not so To Him, Whose Cup did overflow With mine unutterable woe."
"Thou drinkest deep." "When Christ would sup He drained the dregs from out my cup: So how should I be lifted up?"
"Thou shalt win Glory." "In the skies, Lord Jesus, cover up mine eyes Lest they should look on vanities."
"Thou shalt have Knowledge." "Helpless dust, In Thee, O Lord, I put my trust: Answer Thou for me, Wise and Just."
"And Might." "Get thee behind me. Lord, Who hast redeemed and not abhorred My soul, O keep it by Thy Word."
Vanity of vanities, the Preacher saith, All things are vanity. The eye and ear Cannot be filled with what they see and hear. Like early dew, or like the sudden breath Of wind, or like the grass that withereth, Is man, tossed to and fro by hope and fear: So little joy hath he, so little cheer, Till all things end in the long dust of death. To-day is still the same as yesterday, To-morrow also even as one of them; And there is nothing new under the sun: Until the ancient race of Time be run, The old thorns shall grow out of the old stem, And morning shall be cold, and twilight gray.