General William Booth Enters into Heaven : and other poems Part 4

They rise for freedom and clean laws High laws, that shall endure.

OUR G.o.d ESTABLISHES HIS ARM AND MAKES THE BATTLE SURE!

Foreign Missions in Battle Array

An endless line of splendor, These troops with heaven for home, With creeds they go from Scotland, With incense go from Rome.

These, in the name of Jesus, Against the dark G.o.ds stand, They gird the earth with valor, They heed their King's command.

Onward the line advances, Shaking the hills with power, Slaying the hidden demons, The lions that devour.

No bloodshed in the wrestling,-- But souls new-born arise-- The nations growing kinder, The child-hearts growing wise.

What is the final ending?

The issue, can we know?

Will Christ outlive Mohammed?

Will Kali's altar go?

This is our faith tremendous,-- Our wild hope, who shall scorn,-- That in the name of Jesus The world shall be reborn!

Star of My Heart

Star of my heart, I follow from afar.

Sweet Love on high, lead on where shepherds are, Where Time is not, and only dreamers are.

Star from of old, the Magi-Kings are dead And a foolish Saxon seeks the manger-bed.

O lead me to Jehovah's child Across this dreamland lone and wild, Then will I speak this prayer unsaid, And kiss his little haloed head-- "My star and I, we love thee, little child."

Except the Christ be born again to-night In dreams of all men, saints and sons of shame, The world will never see his kingdom bright.

Stars of all hearts, lead onward thro' the night Past death-black deserts, doubts without a name, Past hills of pain and mountains of new sin To that far sky where mystic births begin, Where dreaming ears the angel-song shall win.

Our Christmas shall be rare at dawning there, And each shall find his brother fair, Like a little child within: All hearts of the earth shall find new birth And wake, no more to sin.

Look You, I'll Go Pray

Look you, I'll go pray, My shame is crying, My soul is gray and faint, My faith is dying.

Look you, I'll go pray-- "Sweet Mary, make me clean, Thou rainstorm of the soul, Thou wine from worlds unseen."

At Ma.s.s

No doubt to-morrow I will hide My face from you, my King.

Let me rejoice this Sunday noon, And kneel while gray priests sing.

It is not wisdom to forget.

But since it is my fate Fill thou my soul with hidden wine To make this white hour great.

My G.o.d, my G.o.d, this marvelous hour I am your son I know.

Once in a thousand days your voice Has laid temptation low.

Heart of G.o.d

O great heart of G.o.d, Once vague and lost to me, Why do I throb with your throb to-night, In this land, eternity?

O little heart of G.o.d, Sweet intruding stranger, You are laughing in my human breast, A Christ-child in a manger.

Heart, dear heart of G.o.d, Beside you now I kneel, Strong heart of faith. O heart not mine, Where G.o.d has set His seal.

Wild thundering heart of G.o.d Out of my doubt I come, And my foolish feet with prophets' feet, March with the prophets' drum.

The Empty Boats

Why do I see these empty boats, sailing on airy seas?

One haunted me the whole night long, swaying with every breeze, Returning always near the eaves, or by the skylight gla.s.s: There it will wait me many weeks, and then, at last, will pa.s.s.

Each soul is haunted by a ship in which that soul might ride And climb the glorious mysteries of Heaven's silent tide In voyages that change the very metes and bounds of Fate-- O empty boats, we all refuse, that by our windows wait!

With a Bouquet of Twelve Roses

I saw Lord Buddha towering by my gate Saying: "Once more, good youth, I stand and wait."

Saying: "I bring you my fair Law of Peace And from your withering pa.s.sion full release; Release from that white hand that stabbed you so.

The road is calling. With the wind you go, Forgetting her imperious disdain-- Quenching all memory in the sun and rain."

"Excellent Lord, I come. But first," I said, "Grant that I bring her these twelve roses red.

Yea, twelve flower kisses for her rose-leaf mouth, And then indeed I go in bitter drouth To that far valley where your river flows In Peace, that once I found in every rose."