THE SOUL'S INVOCATION

When striving souls have climbed the highest heights,
And hear beyond the commotion of mortal man
Only the faintest echo, You are far away:
We strive to reach You with uplifted heads;
Our narrowed natures, breaking every bar and bond,
Set free from all of self, by the strength of yearning,
By the focus of thought, by desire, by dream,
And the fierce energy of a consuming will,
Divide the blackness of the night of God—
The mystical Dark Night Night Obscure which separates the soul
A reference to "The Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross.
Ascending Mount Carmel from her true spouse.
Yet upward, upward, there seems to be light at hand!
The darkness turns to white, morning comes quickly,
Faintly shines already on her straining sight
The blessed Master's own beloved domain,
And soon in bush or bower or enclosed garden
Or lighted hall or chamber shall we see
The blessed Spouse and Master face to face.
Ah, splendid face of eternal joy,
Best, brightest, dearest, holy, holy One,
Spouse, master, lover, King, true Christ of God,
Life's measure, life's entirety, life's end,
We cannot reach You until You come to us,
Nor live with You until You dwell in us,
Nor see You until You are revealed in us,
Nor in any way until You are known within us
Can we know the fullness of Your saving beauty!
But we must reach You; we must live with You;
We must behold You; we must know You well,
Who are our nature's deep necessity,
And whatever else we lose with You, with You,
No part of us—body, mind, or soul—
Can ever do without! The good that works in us,
The yearning toward You, both are part of You,
And You are in us when we do not know it.
Be more in us so that we may be more Yours;
Be further with us, until the soul, enlarged
And strengthened, grows fit to gaze upon You;
Then let the night melt on our mountain tops—
Star of the Morning, rise and enlighten us then!

Your time is surely near; our part is done:
Look, we have searched the world, calling for You!
Look, we have climbed every steep path of the mind,
And now we wait! The finite man now stands
On the peak of his thought, on the uppermost range: