"THE cross, if rightly borne, shall be No burden, but support to thee;" So, moved of old time for our sake, The holy monk of Kempen spake. Thou brave and true one! upon whom Was laid the cross of martyrdom, How didst thou, in thy generous youth, Bear witness to this blessed truth! Thy cross of suffering and of shame A staff within thy hands became, In paths where faith alone could see The Master's steps supporting thee. Thine was the seed-time; God alone Beholds the end of what is sown; Beyond our vision, weak and dim, The harvest-time is hid with Him. Yet, unforgotten where it lies, That seed of generous sacrifice, Though seeming on the desert cast, Shall rise with bloom and fruit at last. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CONTRA MORTEM: THE LEAVES by HAYDEN CARRUTH LINES ON HEARING THE ORGAN by CHARLES STUART CALVERLEY THE WIDOW'S LAMENT IN SPRINGTIME by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS A SUMMER NIGHT by JOHANNA AMBROSIUS THE SMUGGLER'S LEAP; A LEGEND OF THANET by RICHARD HARRIS BARHAM TO HELEN KELLER by FRANCES BEEBE PAN IN PANDEMONIUM by BERTON BRALEY SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE: 31 by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |