Annie Matheson (1853–1924)

(A Sonnet Dedicated to London’s Cathedral of Saint Paul the Tentmaker)

APOSTLE, citizen, and artisan!

About thy vast cathedral, through the street

Is hurrying tramp of multitudinous feet;

But far within, for many a homeless man

Thy shrine is home, where, for a passing span,

Cool silence stills the heart’s tumultuous beat:

Before the altar he may rest and eat

Who has not broken bread since day began.

Thou who didst glory in the uplifted cross

Whereby ascended Love, self-sacrificed,

Draws all men near, and heart to heart a few,

Thou who didst count the world for love but loss,

Hail, chosen servant of the risen Christ,

Ambassador of God, great-hearted Jew!