Poems (Odom)/The Bishop's Welcome
THE BISHOP'S WELCOME.
The following poem was read by Right Rev. F. X. Leray, of New Orleans, at the banquet given last Sunday in honor of Bishop Gallagher, in Galveston, Texas.
Tall arches rise in solemn pride Before the great Cathedral door,And flowery garlands softly flingTheir fragrance out, and sway and swing Above the tessellated floor.
Within the grand, majestic nave The rarest roses bloom the while;And lilies, pure as virgin snow,Bend down their spotless heads, and blow Their breath across the tinted aisle.
Bright wreaths of every shade and hue About each stately column twine;Along the lofty pictured wall,Where solemn shadows play and fall, Bright, beaming emblems glint and shine.
Sweet crimson-tinted rose-buds droop— Their petals scarcely cleft apart,—And from their half-unfolded bloomThey steep in subtle, soft perfume The altar of the Sacred Heart.
About another altar these, The lilies, roses, all combineTo lend their beauty and their grace,And all their richest glories place Upon our Virgin Lady's shrine.
And here as ever bended heads The blossom-laden breezes sweep;With trembling hearts and tear-wet eyes,We think of one who silent lies Beneath us in his dreamless sleep.
Dear Father Chambodnt! his loss Is still so fresh and full of pain—His vacant place, his empty chair,That marble tablet lying there, All bring his memory back again.
Around the great, grand altar bloom A thousand countless flowers rare; The solemn chant, the swinging bell,And rising purple incense tell Of that Great Presence dwelling there.
And wherefore all this roseate bloom, These floral wreaths, this grand display?It is to welcome one who comesAn honored guest to heart and homes, We twine these fragrant flowers to-day.
In love and purity we come To give him welcome warm and true;The flowers of Faith and Hope are rare;We offer them in fervent prayer, Bright with the heart's own crystal dew.
With God's own seal upon his brow, A people's love laid at his feet,In fullest hope and fearless trust,Undimmed by any doubting, must Be welcome, rare, and strangely sweet.
Galveston, April 30, 1882.