Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Asia: Vols. XXI–XXIII. 1876–79. | | | | Syria: Bethlehem | | They Gave to Thee | | Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) |
| | (From Upon the Epiphany…)
THEY gave to Thee | |
| Myrrh, frankincense, and gold; | |
| But, Lord, with what shall we | |
| Present ourselves before thy majesty, | |
| Whom thou redeemedst when we were sold? | 5 |
| We ’ve nothing but ourselves, and scarce that neither; | |
| Vile dirt and clay; | |
| Yet it is soft, and may | |
| Impression take. | |
| Accept it, Lord, and say, this thou hadst rather; | 10 |
| Stamp it, and on this sordid metal make | |
| Thy holy image, and it shall outshine | |
| The beauty of the golden mine. | | | | |
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