Religion

O Martyred Spirit of this helpless Whole

by George Santayana 1863–1952

From The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse, ed. D. H. S. Nicholson and A. H. E. Lee (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1917)

Religion

O martyred Spirit of this helpless Whole,
Who dost by pain for tyranny atone,
And in the star, the atom, and the stone,
Purgest the primal guilt, and in the soul;
Rich but in grief, thou dost thy wealth unroll,
And givest of thy substance to thine own,
Mingling the love, the laughter, and the groan
In the large hollow of the heaven's bowl.
Fill full my cup; the dregs and honeyed brim
I take from thy just hand, more worthy love
For sweetening not the draught for me or him.
What in myself I am, that let me prove;
Relent not for my feeble prayer, nor dim
The burning of thine altar for my hymn.

MLA

Santayana, George. “O Martyred Spirit of this helpless Whole.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/santayana/5/.

Chicago

Santayana, George. “O Martyred Spirit of this helpless Whole.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/santayana/5/.

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