Page:Poems Hale.djvu/59

That eye, whose light would pierce my inmost soul?
And should I make my bed where spirits dark
Dwell in the silence of the under world,
There, too, Thine eye would see my face, and there
The glance of Thy displeasure would upbraid
The heartless, cold ingratitude of one
Who gave Thee not devotion's fervent prayer,
Rich incense rising from a grateful heart,—
A heart which glowed with an immortal flame,
A temple meet for Thee.

      Or should I seek,
Upon the wings of morn, the ocean depths,
Behold, Thy piercing glance looks there,—a glance
Undimmed by the destructive flight of time:
Thy hand would guide me through its mazy depths.
Should I desire the shielding veil of night,
Thine eye could penetrate its shadowy folds.
All, all is clear to Thee. Is not the night
The same as day to thy unclouded eye?

 Let me not flee thy presence. Let me seek
Nearer and dearer intercourse with Him
Whose word created me. Great are Thy works,
And in the fulness of Thy boundless power,
Thou raisedst me from dust. Upon my soul
Thine own immortal image didst Thou stamp,
And give me power to fit that soul to dwell
Forever in Thy sight.

      Precious to me, O God!
The gracious promises Thy word reveals;
Precious the hope of everlasting life,