65. Joseph
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O PUREST Symbol of the Eternal Son! |
| Who dwelt in thee, as in some sacred shrine, |
| To draw hearts after thee, and make them thine; |
| Nor parent only by that light was won, |
| And brethren crouch'd who had in wrath begun, |
| But heathen pomp abased her at the sign |
| And the hid Presence of a guest divine, |
| Till a king heard, and all thou bad'st was done. |
| Then was fulfill'd Nature's dim augury, |
| That "Wisdom, clad in visible form, would be |
| So fair, that all must love and bow the knee;" |
| Lest it might seem, what time the Substance came, |
| Truth lack'd a sceptre, when It but laid by |
| Its beaming front, and bore a willing shame. |
Lazaret, Malta.
January 20, 1833. |