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the portals of my heart There lies a chamber set apart,
 * And I to enter there

Must first be purged of every sin— Be purified without, within,
 * And girded with a prayer;

For nothing common or unclean May ever in that room be seen,
 * No taint of sin or woe;

Up from the midst there runs a stair That leads above, I know not where,
 * But angels come and go.

I feel the fanning of their wings, I hear their low-breathed whisperings—
 * They sometimes speak my name!

And all my soul is softened, thrilled, With holy aspirations filled
 * I touch the altar-flame.