Thursday, 21 May 2015

AM I A STONE ...

AM I a stone and not a sheep
  That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy Cross,
  To number drop by drop Thy Blood’s slow loss,
And yet not weep?
 
Not so those women loved       
  Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
  Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;
 
Not so the Sun and Moon
  Which hid their faces in a starless sky,  
A horror of great darkness at broad noon—
  I, only I.
 
Yet give not o’er,
  But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more    
  And smite a rock. Christina Rossetti                                                        

3 comments:

  1. stunning. Doesn't the ending steal your breath?!
    David, thank-you for leaving a comment so I could find your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's intriguing as it's not how the smiting of the rock is normally applied; but I'm sure we all feel the need sometimes.

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I'm glad to hear how this strikes you!