A thief upon My right hand and My left;
  Six hours alone, athirst, in misery: 
At length in death one smote My heart and cleft
    A hiding-place for thee.

Nailed to the racking cross, than bed of down
  More dear, whereon to stretch Myself and sleep: 
So did I win a kingdom,—­share my crown;
    A harvest,—­come and reap.

‘A bruised reed shall he not break’

I will accept thy will to do and be,
  Thy hatred and intolerance of sin,
  Thy will at least to love, that burns within
    And thirsteth after Me: 
So will I render fruitful, blessing still,
  The germs and small beginnings in thy heart,
  Because thy will cleaves to the better part.—­
    Alas, I cannot will.

Dost not thou will, poor soul?  Yet I receive
  The inner unseen longings of the soul, 10
  I guide them turning towards Me; I control
    And charm hearts till they grieve: 
If thou desire, it yet shall come to pass,
  Though thou but wish indeed to choose My love;
  For I have power in earth and heaven above.—­
    I cannot wish, alas!

What, neither choose nor wish to choose? and yet
  I still must strive to win thee and constrain: 
  For thee I hung upon the cross in pain,
    How then can I forget? 20
If thou as yet dost neither love, nor hate,
  Nor choose, nor wish,—­resign thyself, be still
  Till I infuse love, hatred, longing, will.—­
    I do not deprecate.

A BETTER RESURRECTION

I have no wit, no words, no tears;
  My heart within me like a stone
Is numbed too much for hopes or fears. 
  Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift mine eyes, but dimmed with grief
  No everlasting hills I see;
My life is in the falling leaf: 
  O Jesus, quicken me.

My life is like a faded leaf,
  My harvest dwindled to a husk; 10
Truly my life is void and brief
  And tedious in the barren dusk;
My life is like a frozen thing,
  No bud nor greenness can I see: 
Yet rise it shall—­the sap of Spring;
  O Jesus, rise in me.

My life is like a broken bowl,
  A broken bowl that cannot hold
One drop of water for my soul
  Or cordial in the searching cold 20
Cast in the fire the perished thing,
  Melt and remould it, till it be
A royal cup for Him my King: 
  O Jesus, drink of me.

ADVENT

This Advent moon shines cold and clear,
  These Advent nights are long;
Our lamps have burned year after year
  And still their flame is strong. 
‘Watchman, what of the night?’ we cry,
  Heart-sick with hope deferred: 
‘No speaking signs are in the sky,’
  Is still the watchman’s word.