90. Holy Communion

O happy Flowers! O happy Flowers!
How quietly for hours and hours,
In dead of night, in cheerful day,
Close to my own dear Lord you stay,
Until you gently fade away.
O happy Flowers! what would I give
In your sweet place all day to live,
And then to die, my service o'er,
Softly as you do, at His door.

O happy Lights! O happy Lights!
Watching my Jesus livelong nights.
How close you cluster round His throne,'
Dying so meekly one by one,
As each its faithful watch has done.
Could I with you but take my turn,
And burn with love of Him, and burn
Till love had wasted me, like you.
Sweet Lights! what better could I do?

O happy Pyx! O happy Pyx!
AVhere Jesus doth Plis dwelling fix.
0 little ])alace! dear and bright,
Where He, who is the world's true light,
Spends all the day, and stays all night.
Ah! if my heart could only be
A little home for Him like thee,
Such fires my happy soul would move,
1 could not help but die of love!

O Pyx, and Lights, and Flowers! but I
Through envy of you will not die;
Nay, happy things! what will you do,
Since I am better off than you,
The whole day long, the whole night through?
For Jesus gives Himself to me.
So sweetly and so utterly.
By rights long since I should have died
For love of Jesus Crucified.

My happy Soul! my happy Soul!
How shall I then my love control?
O sweet Communion! Feast of bliss!
When the dear Host my tongue doth kiss,
AV^liat happiness is like to this?
Oh heaven, I think, must be alway
Quite like a First Communion Day,
With love so sweet and joy so strange, — ^
Only that heaven will never change!