And there I kneel before th’ eternal throne
  Of Love, whose light conceals him,—­there I see,
  Veiled in his sacred light, a face well known
  To me on earth, now, yearning, bend o’er me. 
  Heaven’s mystic veil, inwove of light and tone,
  Conceals thee not, Beloved,—­I know thee!

IV

WORSHIP

  How poor is all my love, how great thy claim! 
  How weak the breath, the voice which would reveal
  All that thy soul hath taught my soul to feel—­
  Longings profound,—­deep thoughts without a name. 
  If God’s self might be worshipped, without blame,
  In His best works, then would I silent kneel
  Watching thine eyes,—­until my soul should steal
  Back, unperceived, to regions whence it came!

  If my whole life were but one thought of thee,
  That thought the purest worship of my heart
  And my soul’s yearning blent; if at thy feet
  I offered such a life, there still would be
  Something to wish for,—­something to complete
  The measure of my love and thy desert.

V

UNITY

  When I approach thee, Love, I lay aside
  All that is mortal in me; with a heart
  Absolved and pure, and cleansed in every part
  Of every thought that I might wish to hide
  From God, I come,—­fit spirit to abide
  With such a soaring spirit as thou art,
  Whose eye transfixes with a fiery dart
  Presumptuous passion and ignoble pride.

  Yea, thus I come to thee, and thus I dare
  To gaze into thine eyes; I take thy hand,
  And its soft touch upon my lips and eyes
  Thrills thy pure being, while it lingers there,
  Into my heart and soul;—­and then we stand
  Like the first two that loved in Paradise!

VI

LOVE’S SILENCE

  When through thine eyes the light of Heav’n doth shine
  Upon my being, and thy whisper brings,
  As the soft rustling of an angel’s wings,
  Joy to my soul and peace and grace divine;
  When thus thy body and thy soul combine
  To weave the mystic web thy beauty flings
  Around my heart, whose thrilling silence rings
  With Hope’s unuttered songs that make thee mine,—­

  Ah, then, O Love! what need of words have we,
  Who speak in feeling to each other’s heart? 
  Words are too weak Love’s message to impart,
  Too frail to live through Love’s eternity. 
  Silence, the voice of God, alone must be
  Love’s voice for thee, beloved as them art.

VII

THE SUBLIME HOPE

  What need to tell thee o’er and o’er again
  What eyes to eyes have spoken silently
  And heart to heart hath uttered?  Love must be
  For us a hushed delight, a voiceless pain
  Serenely borne!  Our lips must ne’er profane
  Our inmost feelings,—­lest the sanctity
  Of Love be lessened in our hearts and we
  Nought higher than the common path attain!