Poets' Corner.
LINES FROM A HOMILY OF ST. BERNARD. (From the Month.) Ruioice, O Adam ! Father of our sorrow ! Behold the dawn of gladness once again : Rejoice, O Mother Eve ! rejoice thou rather, Who first hast stained our world with sin and pain. For thy sad sake, the sword of sorrow pierces The hearts of all thy daughters here below ; For thy sad sake they reap the double portion Of earthly shame, of suffering and woe. O woman! see, the happy hour is dawning, Which turns to praise thy shame, to joy thy grief; O man ! cast forth thy bitter taunts no longer — Cease to reproach, thy triumph shall be brief. Thrice cruel words ! " The woman whom Thou gayest, She gave the fruit to me, and I did eat." Through woman hast thou fallen? Aye, remember, A woman only lifts thee to thy feet ! Therefore, O mournful Eve, fly thou to Mary j Fly Mother to thy Daughter full of grace ; Who satisfies the Father for the Mother, And wipes away the stain of thy disgrace. Our God, in the sweet treasures of His goodness, Hath sought and found how aid shall be supplied ; For Mary's wisdom shall blot out thy folly, And her humility efface thy pride. For one who gave the fruit of death and sorrow, Another gives the fruit of endless days ; Change then, O man ! thy false unkind excuses Into a burst of gratitude and praise. " O Lord ! the woman who to me is given, She gave the Fruit of Life, and I did eat ; And by this Food my spirit hath been quickened : O taste beyond compare ! O Food most sweet ! " For this, God's Angel comes to thee, O Mary, Virgin most admirable, greatest, best ; Winning His pardon for thy fallen parents, And for thy children, life, and peace, and rest. C. P.
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New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 209, 6 April 1877, Page 3
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308Poets' Corner. New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 209, 6 April 1877, Page 3
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