I dreamed that I ws dead and crossed the heavens,--
Heavens after heavens with burning feet and swift,--
And cried: "O God, where art Thou?" I left one
On earth, whose burden I would pray Thee lift."
I was so dead I wondered at no thing,--
Not even that the angels slowly turned
Their faces, speechless, as I hurried by
(Beneath my feet the golden pavements burned);
Nor, at the first, that I could not find God,
Because the heavens stretched endlessly like space.
At last a terror siezed my very soul;
I seemed alone in all the crowded place.
Then, sudden, one compassionate cried out,
Though like the rest his face from me he turned,
As I were one no angel might regard
(Beneath my feet the golden pavements burned):
"No moew in heaven than earth will he find God
Who does not know his loving mercy swift
But waits the moment consummate and ripe,
Each burden, from each human soul to lift."
Though I was dead, I died again for shame;
Lonely, to flee from heaven again I turned;
The ranks of angels looked away from me
(Beneath my feet the golden pavements burned).
A moving reminder that we do not have to ascend to the heavens to beseech Divine grace, for his love and mercy are already at work among us here in the strife and turmoil of life. Provocatively expressed.
Crossed the heavens! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.
A magnificent write that I truly enjoyed. Full of depth and meaning. Dead but yet still very much full of life. A great metaphor.
its a cry for all of us to feel. lifting the burden of others is what all of us should have in mind. Great poem.
There is such raw pain in this and Helen Hunt Jackson is the mistress of touching the hearts of all her readers with not only pain but every raw emotion that mankind can feel. 10++++++++++++++++++++++++
A dreamful poem nicely executed. It is nice to be chosen as the poem of the day.
death- kisses me with fired lips, grasps me with burned souls, I am dead - dead in blues womb from tears I sketch the tomb lamps of nightmare on the air balloon shadow or phantom........................... /// excellent great writing always
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I can only repeat the good words of Ingeborg below. We do need to pray for one another now whilst we're still here on earth