Nicholson & Lee, eds. The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. 1917.
Arthur Edward Waite (18571942)249. Restoration
I
I left Thee at Thy bidding;
I put off my white robes and shining crown
And came into this world for love of Thee.
In mean and darken’d houses:
The scarlet fruits of knowledge and of sin
Have stain’d me with their juice for love of Thee.
From Thee so sadly parted;
I could not choose but put away my sin
And purge and scourge those stains for love of Thee.
Nothing can ease or fill me:
Restore me, past the frozen baths of death,
My crown and robes, desired for love of Thee:
My loss or gain counts little,
But Thou must need me since I need Thee so,
Crying through day and night for love of Thee!