Poems (Sharpless)/The Unspeakable Gift
THE UNSPEAKABLE GIFT
O, blessed Light of God! thou lead'st us out
From the bewildering subtlety of words;
That deadly mist that veils our fear and doubt,
Where sorrow-stricken men like famished herds
Caught in a briny marsh, stray aimlessly about.
Thou Gift unspeakable! Thou Inward Light!
Thy consecrating glory can uplift
The feeble spirit to sublimest height;
Quick to reprove, to comfort not less swift,
Thou surest witness to the Father's love,
Thy gentle rays illume the path of Peace:
Athwart the gloom where Anguish sits i' the dust,
Thy sweet beams hover like a brooding dove,
Until she sighs, the while her sobbing cease,
I comprehend not, but I love, I trust.
From the bewildering subtlety of words;
That deadly mist that veils our fear and doubt,
Where sorrow-stricken men like famished herds
Caught in a briny marsh, stray aimlessly about.
Thou Gift unspeakable! Thou Inward Light!
Thy consecrating glory can uplift
The feeble spirit to sublimest height;
Quick to reprove, to comfort not less swift,
Thou surest witness to the Father's love,
Thy gentle rays illume the path of Peace:
Athwart the gloom where Anguish sits i' the dust,
Thy sweet beams hover like a brooding dove,
Until she sighs, the while her sobbing cease,
I comprehend not, but I love, I trust.