Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume IV. The Higher Life. 1904. | | | | II. Prayer and Aspiration | | Prayer and Answer | | Oliver Huckel (1864–1940) |
| | | O GOD, I cannot walk the Way,— | |
| The thorns, the thirst, the darkness, | |
| And bleeding feet and aching heart! | |
| I hear the songs and revels of the throng,— | |
| They sneer upon my downcast face with scorn,— | 5 |
| Yet, O my God, I must and shall walk with Thee! | |
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| O God, I cannot take the Truth! | |
| Far easier honeyed hopes and falsehoods fair, | |
| But Truth,—the Truth is stern and strong and awful. | |
| It ploughs my soul with ploughshares flaming hot,— | 10 |
| Yet give me Truth. I must have Truth, O God! | |
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| O God, I cannot live the Life,— | |
| The flinging all to death that life may come; | |
| The surging of Thy Spirit in my heart | |
| In fire and flame will all consume me,— | 15 |
| Yet, O my God, I cannot live without Thee! | |
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| And as I agonized in dust and shame | |
| With tears and sighs in all the bitter prayer, | |
| I felt, as ’t were, an arm that stole around me, | |
| And raised me to my feet. | 20 |
| And at the touch, hope blossomed in my heart, | |
| And new-found strength in flood-tides thrilled and throbbed | |
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| Through soul and limbs. I looked to see…. | |
| O tender lordly Face! | |
| It was Himself,—the Way, the Truth, the Life! | 25 | | | |
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