quote · Legacy record
When on the fragrant sandal tree The woodman’s axe descends, And she who bloomed so beauteously Beneath the keen stroke bends— E’en on the edge that brought her death, Dying, she breathes her sweetest breath, As if to token in her fall “Peace to her foes, and love to all.” How hardly man this lesson learns, To smile, and bless the hand that spurns; To see the blow, and feel the pain, But render only love again. This spirit ne’er was given on earth; One had it,—he of heavenly birth; Reviled, rejected, and betrayed, No curse He breathed, no plaint He made, But when in death’s deep pang He sighed, Prayed for his murderers—and died.
When on the fragrant sandal tree The woodman’s axe descends, And she who bloomed so beauteously Beneath the keen stroke bends— E’en on the edge that brought her death, Dying, she breathes her sweetest breath, As if to token in her fall “Peace to her foes, and love to all.” How hardly man this lesson learns, To smile, and bless the hand that spurns; To see the blow, and feel the pain, But render only love again. This spirit ne’er was given on earth; One had it,—he of heavenly birth; Reviled, rejected, and betrayed, No curse He breathed, no plaint He made, But when in death’s deep pang He sighed, Prayed for his murderers—and died.
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
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Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Edmeston (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 234 · printed citation: Edmeston · subject: FORGIVENESS
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.