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Poem
December 16, 1905
Wauwatosa News
Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
What is this article about?
A devotional ode to Jesus the Nazarene, portraying him as both intimately human and divinely distant, seeking strength, solace, and harmony in contrasts of suffering and joy. By Frederic Lawrence Knowles, published in The Century on September 19, 1905.
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OCR Quality
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Excellent
Full Text
TO JESUS THE NAZARENE.
Closest to men, on earth save one or man.
And thrilled from crown to foot with fellowship,
Yet most apart and strange, lonely as God—
I dwell in my heart, remote and intimate
One:
Brother of all the world, I come to thee!
Gentle as she who nursed thee at her breast
(Yet what a lash of lightnings once thy tongue
To scourge the hypocrite and Pharisee)—
Nerve thou mine arm, O meek, O mighty one:
Champion of all who fall, I fly to thee!
O man of sorrows, with the wounded hands—
For chaplet, thorns; for throne, a pagan cross:
Loved with the woe and agony of time.
Yet loved by children and the feasting guests—
I bring my suffering, joyful heart to thee
Chaste as the virginal lily on her stem.
Yet in each hot, full pulse, each throbbing vein
More filled with feeling than the flow'r with dew,
No anchorite—hale, sinewy, warm with sun:
Love.
I come in youth's high tide of bliss to thee
O Christ of contrasts, infinite paradox,
Yet life's explainer, solvent harmony.
Free strength, pure passion, meek austerity.
And the white splendor of these darken'd years—
I lean my wondering, wayward heart on thine.
—Frederic Lawrence Knowles in the Century, dated September 19, 1905.
Closest to men, on earth save one or man.
And thrilled from crown to foot with fellowship,
Yet most apart and strange, lonely as God—
I dwell in my heart, remote and intimate
One:
Brother of all the world, I come to thee!
Gentle as she who nursed thee at her breast
(Yet what a lash of lightnings once thy tongue
To scourge the hypocrite and Pharisee)—
Nerve thou mine arm, O meek, O mighty one:
Champion of all who fall, I fly to thee!
O man of sorrows, with the wounded hands—
For chaplet, thorns; for throne, a pagan cross:
Loved with the woe and agony of time.
Yet loved by children and the feasting guests—
I bring my suffering, joyful heart to thee
Chaste as the virginal lily on her stem.
Yet in each hot, full pulse, each throbbing vein
More filled with feeling than the flow'r with dew,
No anchorite—hale, sinewy, warm with sun:
Love.
I come in youth's high tide of bliss to thee
O Christ of contrasts, infinite paradox,
Yet life's explainer, solvent harmony.
Free strength, pure passion, meek austerity.
And the white splendor of these darken'd years—
I lean my wondering, wayward heart on thine.
—Frederic Lawrence Knowles in the Century, dated September 19, 1905.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
Hymn
What themes does it cover?
Religious Faith
What keywords are associated?
Jesus Nazarene
Religious Ode
Divine Contrasts
Devotional Poem
Christian Faith
Suffering Joy
What entities or persons were involved?
Frederic Lawrence Knowles
Poem Details
Title
To Jesus The Nazarene.
Author
Frederic Lawrence Knowles
Subject
Devotional Address To Jesus
Key Lines
Brother Of All The World, I Come To Thee!
O Man Of Sorrows, With The Wounded Hands—
O Christ Of Contrasts, Infinite Paradox,
Yet Life's Explainer, Solvent Harmony.