BREAD that earnest down from Heaven,
Fruit of the eternal tree;
Banquet which my God has given
Even unto me;
Lo, before the world that scorneth,
I give thanks and eat,
At the table in the desert,
Spread with heavenly meat;
Wine of the divinest gladness,
Milk and honey sweet.
In the wilderness unwatered,
In the lonely land,
This the feast of God made ready
By His mighty Hand;
Thither came I, spent and weary,
Hungry and athirst,
From the wastes of thorn and thistle
Of the land accursed,
There to find the feast where angels
Serve, but may not share—
None but Christ and His redeemed ones
Gathered round Him there.
There the desert blossometh,
There the waters spring;
There the psalteries make music,
There the blessed sing.
By the heavenly banquet strengthened,
Short the way to me,
Over moor and fen and mountain,
O'er the pathless sea;
For the glory of His City
Shines along the road
Where the feet unwearied journey
To the Home of God.
S. B.