| Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse. 1922. | | | | Wisdom | | By Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894) |
| | | WISEST of sparrows that sparrow which sitteth alone | |
| Perch’d on the housetop, its own upper chamber, for nest; | |
| Wisest of swallows that swallow which timely has flown | |
| Over the turbulent sea to the land of its rest: | |
| Wisest of sparrows and swallows, if I were as wise! | 5 |
| Wisest of spirits that spirit which dwelleth apart | |
| Hid in the Presence of God for a chapel and nest, | |
| Sending a wish and a will and a passionate heart | |
| Over the eddy of life to that Presence in rest: | |
| Seated alone and in peace till God bids it arise. | 10 | | | |
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