Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-12-07
THE LEGEND BEAUTIFUL.
BIT HENRY v. LoSGrELLow


IS Hadst thou stayed, must have fed ~
That is what the Vision said.
In his chamber all alone,
Kneeling or the floor Of stone,
Prayed the Monk in deep contrition
For his sins Of indecision,
Prayed for greater seif-denial,
In temptation and in trial
1t was MONDAY by the dial.
And the Monk was all alone.
Suddenly, as il Ii lightened.
An unwonted splendor frightened
All within him and without him
In that narrow cell Of stone
And he saw the Blessed Vision
OF our Lord. with light Elysian
Like yesiure wrapped about Him,
Like garment round Him thrown
Not as crucified and slain,
Not in agonies OF pain,
Not with bleeding hands and feet,
Did the Monk his Master see:
But as In the village street,
In the house or harvest field.
Halt and lame and blind He healed,
When He walked in Galilee.
In an attitude imploring,
Hands upon his bosom crossed,
Knelt the Monk in rapture lost.
Lord, he thought, in heaven that reigncst,
Who am /. that thus Thou deignest
To reveal Thyself TO me
Who am |, that from the center
OF Thy glory Thou shouldst enter
This poor cell my guest TO be?
Then amid his exaitation,
Loud the convent bell appalling,
From II. bptfry pAlliuV calling
Rang through court and corridor,
With persistent iteration
lie had never heard before.
IL was now the appointed hour
When alike, in shine or shower,
Winters cold or summers heat,
To the convent portals came,
All the blind and halt and lame,
All the beggars Of the street,
For their daily dole of food
Dealt them by the brotherhood
And their almoDer was he,
Who upon his Blended knee,
Wrapt in silent ecstasy
OF diyinest self-surrrender,
Saw the Vision and the Splendor
Deep distress and hesitation
Mingled with his alteration
Should he 20, or should he stay !
Should he leave the poor TO wait
Hungry st the convent gate,
Till the Vision passed away
Should he slight his heavenly guest
Slight this vsitant celestial,
For a crowd OF ragged, bestial
Bcggars at the convent gateg
Would the Vision there remain
Would the Vision come again ?
Then n voice within his breast
Whispered, audibly and clear,
As If to the outward car
ado thy duty that is best
Leave unto thy Lord the rest ~
straightway to his feet he started,
And with longing look intent
On the Blessed Vision bent,
Slowly from his cell departed,
Slowly on his GRAND went.
At the gate the poor were waiting,
Looking through the iron grating,
With that terror In the eye
That is only seen in those
Who amid their wants and woes
Hear the sound Of doors that close,
And Of feet that pass them by;
Grown familiar with disfavor,
Grown familiar with the SAVIOR
OF the bread by which men die!
But to-day, they knew not why,
Like the gate of Paradise
seemed the convent gate To rise,
Like sacrament divine
Seemed to them the bread and wine.
In his heart the Monk was praying,
Thinking Of the homeless poor,
What they suffer and endure;
What we see not, what we see;
And the inward voice was saying:
Whatsoever thing thou doest
To the least Of Mine and lowest,
That thou docst unto Mep'
Unto Me! but had the Vision
Come to him in beggar's clothing,
Come mcndicant imploring,
Would he then have knclt adoring,
Or have listened with dcrision,
And have turned away with loathlng?
Thus his conscience put the question,
Full of troublesome suggestion,
As at length, with hurried pace,
Towards his cell he turned his face,
And beheld the convent bright
With "A supernatural light,
Like luminous cloud expanding
Over floor, and wall and ceiling.
But he paused with awc-struck feeling
At the threshold of his door,
For the Vision still was standing
As he left it there before
When the convent bell appalling,
From Its bcllfry calling, calling,
Summoned him to feed the poor.
Through the long hour intervening
1t had waited his return,
And he felt his bosom burn,
Compromising all the meaning,
When the Blessed Vision said,
"Had'st thou stayed / must have tlcd"
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