Part 6 (2/2)

Effulgent was she; yet within her eyes, There hung a quivering mist of tears unshed.

Her crimson-mantled bosom shook with sighs; Above him bent the glory of her head; And on his mouth she pressed a splendid kiss, and fled.

THE GOAL

All roads that lead to G.o.d are good; What matters it, your faith, or mine; Both centre at the goal divine Of love's eternal Brotherhood.

The kindly life in house or street; The life of prayer, and mystic rite; The student's search for truth and light; These paths at one great junction meet.

Before the oldest book was writ, Full many a prehistoric soul Arrived at this unchanging goal, Through changeless love, that led to it.

What matters that one found his Christ In rising sun, or burning fire; If faith within him did not tire, His longing for the truth sufficed.

Before our 'Christian' h.e.l.l was brought To edify a modern world, Full many a hate-filled soul was hurled In lakes of fire by its own thought.

A thousand creeds have come and gone; But what is that to you or me?

Creeds are but branches of a tree, The root of love lives on and on.

Though branch by branch proves withered wood, The root is warm with precious wine; Then keep your faith, and leave me mine; ALL roads that lead to G.o.d are good.

CHRIST CRUCIFIED

Now ere I slept, my prayer had been that I might see my way To do the will of Christ, our Lord and Master, day by day; And with this prayer upon my lips, I knew not that I dreamed, But suddenly the world of night a pandemonium seemed.

From forest, and from slaughter house, from bull ring, and from stall, There rose an anguished cry of pain, a loud, appealing call; As man--the dumb beast's next of kin--with gun, and whip, and knife, Went pleasure-seeking through the earth, blood-bent on taking life.

From trap, and cage, and house, and zoo, and street, that awful strain Of tortured creatures rose and swelled the orchestra of pain.

And then methought the gentle Christ appeared to me, and spoke: 'I called you, but ye answered not'--and in my fear I woke.

Then next I heard the roar of mills; and moving through the noise, Like phantoms in an underworld, were little girls and boys.

Their backs were bent, their brows were pale, their eyes were sad and old; But by the labour of their hands greed added gold to gold.

Again the Presence and the Voice: 'Behold the crimes I see, As ye have done it unto these, so have ye done to me.'

Again I slept. I seemed to climb a hard, ascending track; And just behind me laboured one whose patient face was black.

I pitied him; but hour by hour he gained upon the path; He stood beside me, stood upright--and then I turned in wrath.

'Go back!' I cried. 'What right have you to walk beside me here?

For you are black, and I am white.' I paused, struck dumb with fear.

For lo! the black man was not there, but Christ stood in his place; And oh! the pain, the pain, the pain that looked from that dear face.

Now when I woke, the air was rife with that sweet, rhythmic din Which tells the world that Christ has come to save mankind from sin.

And through the open door of church and temple pa.s.sed a throng, To wors.h.i.+p Him with bended knee, with sermon, and with song.

But over all I heard the cry of hunted, mangled things; Those creatures which are part of G.o.d, though they have hoofs and wings.

I saw in mill, and mine, and shop, the little slaves of greed; I heard the strife of race with race, all sprung from one G.o.d-seed.

And then I bowed my head in shame, and in contrition cried - 'Lo, after nineteen hundred years, Christ still is Crucified.'

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