Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). Complete Poetical Works. 1893.
The Seaside and the FiresideBy the Fireside. Hymn for my Brothers Ordination
C
If thou wouldst perfect be,
Sell all thou hast and give it to the poor,
And come and follow me!”
Those sacred words hath said
And his invisible hands to-day have been
Laid on a young man’s head.
The unseen Christ shall move,
That he may lean upon his arm and say,
“Dost thou, dear Lord, approve?”
To make the scene more fair;
Beside him in the dark Gethsemane
Of pain and midnight prayer.
Like the beloved John
To lay his head upon the Saviour’s breast,
And thus to journey on!