770. That Holy Thing

George MacDonald. 1824-1905


THEY all were looking for a king
  To slay their foes and lift them high:
Thou cam'st, a little baby thing
    That made a woman cry.

O Son of Man, to right my lot
  Naught but Thy presence can avail;
Yet on the road Thy wheels are not,
    Nor on the sea Thy sail!

My how or when Thou wilt not heed,
  But come down Thine own secret stair,
That Thou mayst answer all my need--
    Yea, every bygone prayer.

The Oxford Book of English Verse, HTML edition