The Burning Babe
by Robert Southwell
As I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow,
Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow;
And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near,
A pretty babe all burning bright did in the air appear;
Who, though scorched with excessive heat, such floods of tears did shed,
As though his floods should quench his flames, which with his tears were fed.
"Alas," quoth he, "but newly born, in fiery heats I fry,
Yet none approach to warm their hearts, or feel my fire but I!
My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns,
Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns;
The fuel justice layeth on, and mercy blows the coals,
The metal in this furnace wrought are men's defiled souls,
For which, as now on fire I am to work them to their good,
So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood."
With this he vanished out of sight and swiftly shrunk away,
And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas Day.
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5 comments:
Gosh you are fast LOL now you have more time to dedicate to the Avent Poetry Blog LOL, I am trying to catch up with the poems I missed this weekend =] I'll miss them when it is over. You provided for a whole different Christmas Advent.
Thanks.
Well, i said one a day, Juca. ;) Don't feel like you have to read every single one.. i'm not testing at the end.
right Char, but I wanna read all of them, as I promised to translate them all for the EV Fan Club members in Brazil, they are reading them too. =] It is only that I am slow, due to the many travellings ^^ I arrived today back home =] Hugs.
By the way, this one is great to reflect, we have the source of fire and He want us to be close.
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