Alfred H. Miles, ed. The Sacred Poets of the Nineteenth Century. 1907.
By Poems. III. Now and AfterwardFrances Ridley Havergal (18361879)
N
Working hard and waiting long;
Afterward, the golden reaping,
Harvest home and grateful song.
Scattered blossom, bleeding shoot!
Afterward, the plenteous bearing
Of the Master’s pleasant fruit.
Blind, faint gropings in the sea;
Afterward, the pearly guerdon
That shall make the diver free.
Stone by stone to carve and bring;
Afterward, the perfect beauty
Of the palace of the King.
Wailing minors, discord strong;
Afterward, the grand ascension
Of the Alleluia song.
Wounded heart, unequal strife;
Afterward, the triumph given,
And the victor’s crown of life.
Unexplained and tedious now;
Afterward, the service holy,
And the Master’s “Enter thou!”