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Re (2): Two Choices
IP: 146.7.16.28
Posted on February 14, 2004 at 08:36:47 AM by Eric
The Hound of Heaven (1st Stanza)
By Francis Thompson (1859–1907)
I FLED Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.’
By Francis Thompson (1859–1907)
I FLED Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.’
This is the first stanza of "The Hound of Heaven" by Francis Thompson, as it appeared in The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse published in 1917. The complete poem can be read at Bartleby.com: http://www.bartleby.com/236/239.html. I might extend Constanza's recommendation: "The Hound of Heaven" is a beautifully written piece and to achieve Thompson's full effect the poem is best read aloud, as is true with most poetry.