Poems (Procter)/Give me thy Heart
For works with similar titles, see Give me thy Heart.
GIVE ME THY HEART.
ITH echoing steps the worshippers Departed one by one;The organ's pealing voice was stilled, The vesper hymn was done; The shadows fell from roof and arch, Dim was the incensed air,One lamp alone, with trembling ray, Told of the Presence there!In the dark church she knelt alone; Her tears were falling fast;"Help, Lord," she cried, "the shades of death Upon my soul are cast!Have I not shunned the path of sin, And chosen the better part?"What voice came through the sacred air?— "My child, give me thy Heart!"
"Have I not laid before Thy shrine My wealth, O Lord?" she cried;"Have I kept aught of gems or gold, To minister to pride?Have I not bade youth's joys retire, And vain delights depart?"—But sad and tender was the voice,— "My child, give me thy Heart!"
"Have I not, Lord, gone day by day Where Thy poor children dwell;And carried help, and gold, and food? O Lord, Thou knowest it well!From many a house, from many a soul, My hand bids care depart":—More sad, more tender was the voice,— "My child, give me thy Heart!"
"Have I not worn my strength away With fast and penance sore? Have I not watched and wept?" she cried; "Did Thy dear Saints do more?Have I not gained Thy grace, O Lord, And won in Heaven my part?"—It echoed louder in her soul,— "My child, give me thy Heart!
"For I have loved thee with a love No mortal heart can show;A love so deep, my Saints in heaven Its depths can never know:When pierced and wounded on the Cross, Man's sin and doom were mine,I loved thee with undying love, Immortal and divine!
"I loved thee ere the skies were spread; My soul bears all thy pains;To gain thy love my sacred Heart In earthly shrines remains:Vain are thy offerings, vain thy sighs, Without one gift divine;Give it, my child, thy Heart to me, And it shall rest in mine!"
In awe she listened, and the shade Passed from her soul away;In low and trembling voice she cried,— "Lord, help me to obey!Break Thou the chains of earth, O Lord, That bind and hold my heart;Let it be Thine, and Thine alone, Let none with Thee have part.
"Send down, O Lord, Thy sacred fire! Consume and cleanse the sinThat lingers still within its depths: Let heavenly love begin.That sacred flame Thy Saints have known, Kindle, O Lord, in me,Thou above all the rest forever, And all the rest in Thee."
The blessing fell upon her soul; Her angel by her sideKnew that the hour of peace was come; Her soul was purified:The shadows fell from roof and arch, Dim was the incensed air,—But Peace went with her as she left The sacred Presence there!