Page:Lyrics of Life, Coates, 1909.djvu/129



and long the winding way;

Yet as I fare, to comfort me,

Still o'er and o'er I tell the beads

Of love's perfected rosary.

The fire that once hath pierced the heart,

If from above, must upward flame,

Nor falter till it find at last

The burning fountain whence it came.

O fire of love within my breast—

O pain that pleads for no surcease—

Fill me with fervor!—more and more,

Give me thy passion and thy peace!

O love, that mounts to paths of day

Untraversed by the soaring lark,

O love, through all the silent night

A lamp to light the boundless dark,

O love, whose dearest pangs I bear,

This heart—this wounded heart—transform!

That all who seek its shelter may

There find a refuge safe and warm.