XIV.
Three souls in whom no selfishness had place
Were here: three happy souls, which undefiled.
Albeit in darkness, still retain'd a trace
Of their celestial origin. The wild
Was as a sanctuary where Nature smiled
Upon these simple children of her own,
And cherishing whate'er was meek and mild,
Call'd forth the gentle virtues, such alone,
The evils which evoke the stronger being unknown.
XV.
What tho' at birth we bring with us the seed
Of sin, a mortal taint,—in heart and will
Too surely felt, too plainly shewn in deed,—
Our fatal heritage; yet are we still
The children of the All Merciful: and ill
They teach, who tell us that from hence must flow
God's wrath, and then his justice to fulfil,
Death everlasting, never-ending woe:
O miserable lot of man if it were so!
