Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Germany: Vols. XVII–XVIII. 1876–79.
Saint Christopher
By Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham (17931870)In the Cathedral
A
Aught but the strongest! I behold thee there,
With thy broad shoulders and thy giant form,
Thou hadst no wit nor knowledge; couldst not learn
What the priests bade thee,—couldst not bend thy knee
To their long prayers or tedious penances.
Thou gavest what thou hadst, thy manly strength,
To the sweet service of humanity.
So thou didst bear the Christ upon thy back,
And minister unto the Lord of Glory.