Henry Charles Beeching, ed. (1859–1919). Lyra Sacra: A Book of Religious Verse. 1903.
By Robert Browning (1812–1889)The Guardian Angel
A Picture by Guercino at Fano DEAR and great Angel, wouldst thou only leave | |
| That child, when thou hast done with him, for me! | |
| Let me sit all the day here, that when eve | |
| Shall find performed thy special ministry, | |
| And time come for departure, thou, suspending | 5 |
| Thy flight, may’st see another child for tending, | |
| Another still to quiet and retrieve. | |
| Then I shall feel thee step one step, no more, | |
| From where thou standest now, to where I gaze. | |
| —And suddenly my head is covered o’er | 10 |
| With those wings, white above the child who prays | |
| Now on that tomb—and I shall feel thee guarding | |
| Me, out of all the world; for me discarding | |
| Yon heaven thy home, that waits and opes its door. | |
| I would not look up thither past thy head | 15 |
| Because the door opes, like that child, I know, | |
| For I should have thy gracious face instead, | |
| Thou bird of God! And wilt thou bend me low | |
| Like him, and lay, like his, my hands together, | |
| And lift them up to pray, and gently tether | 20 |
| Me, as thy lamb there, with thy garment’s spread? | |
| If this was ever granted, I would rest | |
| My head beneath thine, while thy healing hands | |
| Close-covered both my eyes beside thy breast, | |
| Pressing the brain, which too much thought expands, | 25 |
| Back to its proper size again, and smoothing | |
| Distortion down till every nerve had soothing, | |
| And all lay quiet, happy and suppressed. | |
| How soon all worldly wrong would be repaired! | |
| I think how I should view the earth and skies | 30 |
| And sea, when once again my brow was bared | |
| After thy healing, with such different eyes. | |
| O world, as God has made it! All is beauty: | |
| And knowing this is love, and love is duty. | |
| What further may be sought for or declared? | 35 |