Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of lust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack'd anything.
"A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here";
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee."
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?"
"Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
So I did sit and eat.
-- George Herbert
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2 comments:
I love this poem and always have and since my brother who is a Redemptorist priest included it in his homily at our father's Requiem Mass, it now holds even more significance for me.
He was of couse expressing his belief that my Dad was being invited to take his seat at the heavenly banquet, and he was holding back as if to say: Who me, God, you couldn't posssibly mean me?
And God, ever-loving, ever-merciful ever-generous was saying, sit down right here beside me, Paddy, sit and eat.
Thank you so much for posting this. I'm very pleased to have discovered your blog through one of Tertium Quid's recent posts.
Veritas, that is beautiful! It's amazing how much love and regard God has for us, who are nothing.
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