A Little Boy Lost
' Nought loves another as itself, i
Nor venerates another so,
Nor is it possible to Thought
A greater than itself to know:
' And, Father, how can I love you 5
Or any of my brothers more ?
I love you like the little bird
That picks up crumbs around the door.'
The Priest sat by and heard the child, 9
In trembling zeal he siez'd his hair :
He led him by his little coat,
And all admir'd the Priestly care.
And standing on the altar high, 13
' Lo ! what a fiend is here,' said he,
' One who sets reason up for judge
Of our most holy Mystery.'
Engraved on a single plate from the rough draft on p. io6 (reversed) of the
MS. Book.
And] Then MS. Bk. st rdg. del. how . . . you] I cannot love you
MS. Book st rdg. del. 6 Or] Nor MS. Book st rdg. del. 7 I . . . bird] I love myself: so does the bird MS. Book 15/ rdg. del. 11, 12 The first reading of these two lines in the MS. Book was — ' The mother follow'd, weeping loud, "O, that I such a fiend should bear!"' These are deleted and replaced by — 'Then led him by his little coat, To shew his zealous priestly care.' The last line is again cancelled and rewritten —
- And all admir'd his priestly care,'
the word 'Then' in the preceding line being deleted and replaced by ' &.' 12 the] his Wnnz facsimile. 13-16 This stanza appears to have followed the fifth in order of composition.
