Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-04-27
SELECT POETRY.
From the Atlantic Monthly.
The Legend Beautiful.
NJ n. W. LoNorELLow.

BY ". ". LoNoPELLow.
"Hadsi thou stayed, I must have fed r.
That Is what the Vision said.
In his chamber all alone,
Kneeling on the floor of stone
Prayed the Monk in deep contrition
For his SINS Of indecisiop, ~, -.,.5.. .
Prayed for greater self-tlenial,J HDii u
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;r
-, And he'saw the Blessed Vision
OF our Lord, with light ElysiAn
Like vesture 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 bis bosom crossed
Wondering, worshipping, adoring,
Knelt the monk in rapture lost
Lord, lie thought, IN Heaven that reignest,
Who am |, that thus thou deignest
To reveal thysef to me? ., .,-'
Who am /, that from the center - -'li Us
or thy glory, thou shouldst enter
This poor cell, my guest to be?
Then amid his exaltation
Loud the convent bell appalling,
From its beltry calling, calling,
Rang through court and corridor,
With persistent iteration
He had never heard before.
. It was now The appoihtea hour
When alike, in sun 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,sy r*.,sr..
Wrapped in silent ecstacy, -'+ -.-'
OF divinest selfsurrender,
Saw the Vision and the Splendor.
Deep distress and hesitation
Mingled with his adOration;
Should he go, or should he stay?
Should he leave the poor to wait
Hungry at the convent gate,
Til the Vision passed awayf
Should he slight his heavenly guest,
Slight this visitant celestial,
For q crowd of ragged bestial
Beggars at the convent gate?
Would the Vision there remainl
Would the vision come again?
Then voice within his breast
Whispered, audbly and clear,
AS if TO the outward ear:
DO thy duty that is best; "A 4n..,r, .-
Leave unto Thy Lord the festP' aSJi4l y
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
Who amid their want 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 gates of i Paradise f-,fEI
Seemed the convent gates to rise, AZ
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:
"Whatsoeyer thing thou doest
To the least of mine.and lowest,
That thou doestunto me-"
Unto me but had the Vision
Come to him IN beggar's clothing,
Come mendicant imploring,
Would he then have knelt adoring,
Or have listened with derision,
And have turned away with loathingf
Thus his conscious put the question:
Full of troublesome suggestion. tC-fif'I
AS at length, with hurried pace,
Toward his cell he turned his face,
And beheld the convent bright
With supernatural light,
Like luminous cloud expanding
Over floor and wall and ceiling.
But he paused with awe-struck feeling
At the threshold of his door
For the Vision still Was standing
AS he left 1t there before,
When the convent bell appalling,
From its belfry calling, calling,
Summoned him TO feed the poor.
Through the long hour intervening,
1t had waited his return,
And he felt his bosom burn,
COmprehending all the meaning,
When the Blessed Vision said,
"Hadst thou stayed, LmiiSt have fiedf' 81.