quote · Legacy record
But in God’s temple the great lamp is out, And he must worship glory in the dark! Till death, in midnight mystery, hath brought The veiled soul’s re-illuminating spark— The pillar of the cloud enfolds the Ark! And, like a man that prayeth underground In Bethlehem’s rocky shrine, he can but mark The lingering hours by circumstance and sound, And break, with gentle hymns, the solemn silence round. Yet still life’s better light shines out above! And in that village church, where first he learned To bear his cheerless doom, for heaven’s dear love, He sits, with wistful face, for ever turned To hear of those who heavenly pity earned; Blind Bartimæus, and him desolate, Who for Bethesda’s waters vainly yearned: And only sighs, condemned so long to wait, Baffled and helpless still, beyond the Temple gate!
But in God’s temple the great lamp is out, And he must worship glory in the dark! Till death, in midnight mystery, hath brought The veiled soul’s re-illuminating spark— The pillar of the cloud enfolds the Ark! And, like a man that prayeth underground In Bethlehem’s rocky shrine, he can but mark The lingering hours by circumstance and sound, And break, with gentle hymns, the solemn silence round. Yet still life’s better light shines out above! And in that village church, where first he learned To bear his cheerless doom, for heaven’s dear love, He sits, with wistful face, for ever turned To hear of those who heavenly pity earned; Blind Bartimæus, and him desolate, Who for Bethesda’s waters vainly yearned: And only sighs, condemned so long to wait, Baffled and helpless still, beyond the Temple gate!
In print by 1888 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Mrs. Norton (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1888 AD · industrial
In print by 1888: recorded in A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 79 · printed citation: Mrs. Norton · subject: BLINDNESS
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.