Have faith, and crave and suffer, and all ye The many mansions of my house shall see In all content: cast shame and pride away, Let honour gild the world's eventless day, Shrink not from change, and shudder not at crime, Leave lies to rattle in the sieve of Time! Then, whatsoe'er your workday gear shall stain, Of me a wedding-garment shall ye gain No God shall dare cry out at, when at last Your time of ignorance is overpast; A wedding garment, and a glorious seat Within my household, e'en as yet be meet. Fear not, I say again; believe it true That not as men mete shall I measure you: This calm strong soul, whose hidden tale found out Has grown a spell to conquer fear and doubt, Is he not mine? yea, surely--mine no less This well mocked clamourer out of bitterness: The strong one's strength, from me he had it not; Let the world keep it that his love forgot; The weak one's weakness was enough to save, Let the world hide it in his honour's grave! For whatso folly is, or wisdom was Across my threshold naked all must pass. Fear not; no vessel to dishonour born Is in my house; there all shall well adorn The walls whose stones the lapse of Time has laid. Behold again; this life great stories made; All cast aside for love, and then and then Love filched away; the world an adder-den, And all folk foes: and one, the one desire-- --How shall we name it?--grown a poisoned fire, God once, God still, but God of wrong and shame A lying God, a curse without a name. So turneth love to hate, the wise world saith. --Folly--I say 'twixt love and hate lies death, They shall not mingle: neither died this love, But through a dreadful world all changed must move With earthly death and wrong, and earthly woe The only deeds its hand might find to do. Surely ye deem that this one shall abide Within the murmuring palace of my pride. But lo another, how shall he have praise? Through flame and thorns I led him many days And nought he shrank, but smiled and followed close, Till in his path the shade of hate arose 'Twixt him and his desire: with heart that burned For very love back through the thorns he turned, His wounds, his tears, his prayers without avail Forgotten now, nor e'en for him a tale; Because for love's sake love he cast aside. --Lo, saith the World, a heart well satisfied With what I give, a barren love forgot-- --Draw near me, O my child, and heed them not! The world thou lovest, e'en my world it is, Thy faithful hands yet reach out for my bliss, Thou seest me in the night and in the day Thou canst not deem that I can go astray.