Page:Poems Larcom.djvu/290



Suggested by a bas-relief of the prophet Jeremiah, by Marguerite Foley, an American lady residing in Italy.

"But why I went hence, and went thither, Thou knewest, O God, yet shewedst it neither to me, nor to my mother, who grievously bewailed my journey, and followed me as far as the sea. But I deceived her; and I feigned that I had a friend whom I could not leave till he had a fair wind to sail. And yet refusing to return without me, I scarcely persuaded her to stay that night in a place hard by our ship, where was an Oratory in memory of the blessed Cyprian. And what was she asking with so many tears of Thee, but that thou wouldst not suffer me to sail? But Thou, in the depth of Thy counsels, and hearing the main point of her desire, regardedst not what she then asked, that Thou mightest make me what she ever asked. The wind blew and filled our sails, and withdrew the shore from sight; and she on the morrow was there, frantic with sorrow."—Confessions of St. Augustine. "For whence was that dream whereby Thou comfortedst her?—She saw herself standing on a certain wooden rule, and a shining youth coming towards her, cheerful and smiling upon her, herself grieving. But he, having inquired the cause of her grief and daily tears, told her to look and observe 'That where she was, there was I also.' And when she looked, she saw me standing by her in the same rule. When I would fain bend the vision to mean, that she rather should not despair of being one day what I was; she replied "No; for it was not told me, 'Where he, there thou also'; but, 'Where thou, there he also.'"—Ibid. "She and I stood alone, leaning in a certain window which looked into the garden of the house where we now lay, at Ostia. We were discoursing then together, alone, very sweetly. . . . Such things was