Desire

  Thou, who dost dwell alone;

  Thou, who dost know thine own;

  Thou, to whom all are known,

  From the cradle to the grave,--

    Save, O, save!

  From the world's temptations;

  From tribulations;

  From that fierce anguish

  Wherein we languish;

  From that torpor deep

  Wherein we lie asleep,

  Heavy as death, cold as the grave,--

    Save, O, save!

  When the soul, growing clearer,

  Sees God no nearer;

  When the soul, mounting higher,

  To God comes no nigher;

  But the arch-fiend Pride

  Mounts at her side,

  Foiling her high emprize,

  Sealing her eagle eyes,

  And, when she fain would soar,

  Make idols to adore;

  Changing the pure emotion

  Of her high devotion,

  To a skin-deep sense

  Of her own eloquence;

  Strong to deceive, strong to enslave,--

    Save, O, save!

  From the ingrained fashion

  Of this earthly nature

  That mars thy creature;

  From grief, that is but passion;

  From mirth, that is but feigning;

  From tears, that bring no healing;

  From wild and weak complaining;--

  Thine old strength revealing,

    Save, O, save!

  From doubt, where all is doable,

  Where wise men are not strong;

  Where comfort turns to trouble;

  Where just men suffer wrong;

  Where sorrow treads on joy;

  Where sweet things soonest cloy;

  Where faiths are built on dust;

  Where love is half mistrust,

  Hungry, and barren, and sharp as the sea;

    O, set us free!

  O, let the false dream fly

  Where our sick souls do lie,

  Tossing continually.

  O, where thy voice doth come,

  Let all doubts be dumb;

  Let all words be mild;

  All strife be reconciled;

  All pains beguiled.

  Light brings no blindness;

  Love no unkindness;

  Knowledge no ruin;

  Fear no undoing,

  From the cradle to the grave,--

    Save, O, save!