As when ’twas almost good and had the right,
(Her Gian alive, and she herself eighteen).
And yet, now even, if Madonna willed,
She’d win a tern in Thursday’s lottery,
And better all things. Did she dream for nought,
That, boiling cabbage for the fast day’s soup,
It smelt like blessed entrails? such a dream
For nought? would sweetest Mary cheat her so,
And lose that certain candle, straight and white
As any fair grand-duchess in her teens,
Which otherwise should flare here in a week?
Benigna sis, thou beauteous Queen of heaven!
I sate there musing and imagining
Such utterance from such faces: poor blind souls
That writhed toward heaven along the devil’s trail,—
Who knows, I thought, but He may stretch his hand
And pick them up? ’tis written in the Book,
He heareth the young ravens when they cry;
And yet they cry for carrion.—O my God,—
And we, who make excuses for the rest,
We do it in our measure. Then I knelt,
And dropped my head upon the pavement too,
And prayed, since I was foolish in desire
Like other creatures, craving offal-food,
That He would stop his ears to what I said,
And only listen to the run and beat
Of this poor, passionate, helpless blood—
And then
I lay and spoke not. But He heard in heaven.
