The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-12-07
THE LEGEND BEAUTIFUL.
By HENRY w. LONGFELLOw

"Had'st thou stayed, / must have fed -
That is what fhe Vision said.
In his chamber all alone,
Kneeling on the floor Of stone,
Prayed the Monk in deep cOntrItiOn
For his sins OF indecision,
Prayed for greater self-denIal,
In temptation and in trial;
It was MONDAY by the dial,
And the Monk was all alone.
Suddenly, ,,as If It 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 a vesture wrapped about him,
Like a garment round him thrown.
Not,as crucifed 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,
Wondering, Worshipping, adoring,
KneIt the Monk in rapture lost.
Lord he thought, in heaven that reignes
Who am /, that thus thou deignest
To reveal thyself to me9
Who am l, that from the centre
OF thy glory, thou shouldstlenter
This poor cell my guest to be:
Then amid his exaltation,
Loud the convent bell appalling,
From its belfry calling, calling,
Rang through court and corridor,
With persistent iteration
He had never heard before.
1t 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 almoner was he,
Who upon his bended knee,
Wrapt in silent ecstacy
OF divinest tseIf-surrender,
Saw the Vision and the Splendor.
Deep distress and hesitation
Mingled with his alteration;
Should he go, or should he stay?
Should he leave the poor to walt
Hungry at the convent gate,
Till the Vision passed away?
Should he slight this heavenly guest,
Slight this visitant celestial,
For crowd of ragged, bestial
Beggars at the convent gate?
Would the Vision there remain;
Would the Vision come,again?
When a voice within his breast
Whispered, audibly and clear,
Asif to the outward ear,
'Do 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 errand 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
hn afr ,fu
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 a 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 doest unto mer'
Unto mel but had the Vision
Come to him inbeggar's clothing,
Come a mendicant implOring,
Would he then have knelt adoring,
Or have listened with derision,
And have turned away with loathing,
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 n luminous cloud expanding
Over floor, and wall, and ceiling.
But he passed with awestruck feeling
At the threshold OF his door,
For the Vision still was standing
As he left 1t there before,
WI en- the convent bell appalling,
From its bellfry calling, calling,
Summoned him to feed the poor,
Through the long hours intervening
It had waited his return,
And he felt his bosom burn,
Comprehending all the meaning,
When the blessed Vision said,
"Had'st thou stayed 1 must have fed"
-AHdatie for December.