Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: I cannot thank you, Lord—because I cannot understand Why you at last, at last, have moved your hand, Which was put forth between the sun and me —Whose shadow was A darkness on the earth and on the sea, A darkness on all things that I have known. I never understood why you shut out The natural airs, and let me walk alone Through lanes of trouble in the valley of doubt, Hear at mere noon the nightjar's ragged shout, And find June's flowers unblown or overblown. I never understood why this should be, And now I know not why it should have ended. When I have tried to touch The bark of trees, the flesh of friends—unfriended My hand came back, its impotence was such, And the numb fingers drooped, the numb heart sagged. But now—now—I am free Suddenly: I can touch this friend, this tree, And the lark sings at noon, and June's beflagged, And bravely open shine the gates of Heaven; The width of sky and cloud and wind is mine, The sun's strong light runs through the soul like wine, And simple freedom is the body's leaven. You have dressed in fire, beatified with wings, The natural, sane, and ordinary things: By peace, By sheer release, By nothing but allowing pain to cease, By the cessation of a single curse, You have dowered me with the solid universe. I do not understand Why prison first, and freedom next, was planned: I do not understand Why still there are those who walk in the dark land, Hear all their music tortured, as if it came Transverse through dusty tapestries of shame; See all their constellations set awry 'Twixt false horizons of derisive sky; And, when they touch their fellows, touch them not, But grope, and miss, and slip, and wither, and rot, Turning their senses...