THE CHURCH-FLOOR
THE CHURCH-FLOOR
Mark you the floor? that square and speckled stone,
Which looks so firm and strong,
Is Patience:
And th’ other black and grave, wherewith each one
Is checker’d all along,
Humility:
The gentle rising, which on either hand
Leads to the Choir above,
Is Confidence:
But the sweet cement, which in one sure band
Ties the whole frame, is Love
And Charity.
Hither sometimes Sin steals, and stains
The marble’s neat and curious veins:
But all is cleansed when the marble weeps.
Sometimes Death, puffing at the door,
Blows all the dust about the floor:
But while he thinks to spoil the room, he sweeps.
Blest be the Architect, whose art
Could build so strong in a weak heart.