30.07.2007, 10:27
The Cloisters
The world without was hidden quite from view,
Its din and strife scarce found an echo here,
Yet these dark cloisters faced no prospect drear,
But opened on a close where roses grew;
Where trees and plants and skies of blue
Such beauty gave the sanctuary dear,
The nuns in calm retreat felt Heaven near,
And found the peace of God, vouchsafed to few.
O soul aspire; but never dwell apart,
Build altars, too, yet live the life of men,
But keep some chamber sacred in thy heart--
Some cloister curtained from the common ken,
To see as through stained glass when sunbeems dart
A world of beauty rise with light again.
The world without was hidden quite from view,
Its din and strife scarce found an echo here,
Yet these dark cloisters faced no prospect drear,
But opened on a close where roses grew;
Where trees and plants and skies of blue
Such beauty gave the sanctuary dear,
The nuns in calm retreat felt Heaven near,
And found the peace of God, vouchsafed to few.
O soul aspire; but never dwell apart,
Build altars, too, yet live the life of men,
But keep some chamber sacred in thy heart--
Some cloister curtained from the common ken,
To see as through stained glass when sunbeems dart
A world of beauty rise with light again.