56

Lord, who didst bring the stars to birth,
Look down upon my scattered earth;
The atom doth itself enfold;
This boundless wilderness behold.

In solitude within my breast
Immortal beauty lies at rest;
Beneath this envelope of clay
Regard the sun’s effulgent ray.

Tumultuous love thou didst impart
To this my frail and mortal heart;
See now thy conflagration roll
Among the rushes of my soul.

Clothed in the robes of old disgrace
Note how I labour to efface
By hard endeavour every stain,
And wash life’s garment white again.

My dust ascending in the air
Seeks a new heaven to prepare;
This atom, That is naught, and less,
Would populate a wilderness!