Loci Dulcedo Poem by Maria Frances Cecilia Cowper

Once again in thy meadows of Christ Church,
Through thy chapels and gardens again
I walk as of old, while thy towers
Ring out a refrain.
Dear Mother, my heart is o'er-flowing
With the joy of thy peace, as of yore.
While my steps in the hush of thy cloisters
Re-echo once more.
And yet, with the joy of the present
Is mingled the sadness and pain
Of regret for the days that are vanished.
And come not again :
For now, in the toil and the hurry
Of the new country over the seas
I forget the deep calm of thy cloisters,
The shade of thy trees.
Wilt thou be with me there in thy stillness.
Wilt thou give me a part of thyself
In the noise of the street and the market,
The struggle for pelf?
Lest I weary and faint by the wayside,
May the thought of thy manifold charm
Bring peace to my spirits o'er-burdened,
And heavenly calm.