The Holy Child, Or, the Flight Into Egypt (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887. Excerpt: ... CANTO I. MYSTERY OF SOUND--MYSTERY OF WATER. SO deep had been the Virgin's sleep that night, So sweet, so pure, so hushed, so holy calm, Almost it seemed like sleep of saintly death. Thus soul and body, which had been outworn By the long travel of the day before, Were perfectly restored. When Mary rose, The old Arab mother also rose, Subservient to the wishes of her guest. Her maids she also roused, and bade them fetch Pure water from the spring, and napkins clean, Ewer and basin, --all that was required For that more common and recurrent rite Of daily baptism, type of one more high And spiritual. In an inner space, Veiled and partitioned from the common room, The Virgin and the Child remained enshrined As long as needful was; then fresh and bright, As morning star uprising from the sea, Effulgent she came forth, and filled the tent With splendor. Then again that antique dame, In reverent posture bending to the earth, Worshipped the Holy Child, and all her maids, With an instinctive reverence, worshipped too, Much wondering why their knees were drawn to earth, And whence that more than starry radiance came. "Ho "--Joseph's voice from outside cheerful rang--"All hail, beloved of heaven, come forth, come forth; The Morning Star is singing blithe for joy, Although we hear him not; all dewy-fresh, Cool Night still wears some jewels in her crown, Erelong compelled to lay them gradual by, Until her coronation time returns." Blessing and blessed, the Virgin issued forth, As yet unveiled, beneath the holy stars, And as the doubled splendor moved along, The Infant Saviour gazed upon the sky With his sweet, lustrous eyes, and waved his hands, And jumped in his mother's arms, and crowed and laughed, And crowed again, as though he meant to say To those far worlds, "Go...