YALE
DIVINITY SCHOOL
LIBRARY

Gift of
JOHN R. MOTT

SAINT COLUMBA

WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

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THE WAY OF HOLINESS: An analytical and devotional Commentary
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Saint Columba

A POEM

BY
RICHARD MEUX BENSON, M.A.
S. S.J. E.

EDINBURGH: ST. GILES' PRINTING COMPANY
London: ELLIOT STOCK, Paternoster Row
i 901

TO THE RIGHT REVEREND
3. 1R. a. CblnneriMfoalbane, H>.2>.,
LORD BISHOP OF ARGYLL AND THE ISLES,
WITH MUCH LOVE AND GRATITUDE
From R. M. B.

PREFACE.

The following stanzas were written during a visit to Iona,
where I was spending a few days in the house which the
Bishop of the Diocese has kindly placed at the disposal of
the Cowley Fathers. The ruins of the ancient Cathedral
which remain on the island have no connection with the
great Patriarch of our Northern Christianity, but they point
back to the time when his footsteps left a hallowing influ
ence, imperishable in spiritual power although invisible as
to any monumental commemoration. Buildings may rise
out of desolation, and when they fall they serve but to
illustrate the greater glory of those eternal realities which
never can be fretted by the hand of time. The life which
comes from the mouth of the Eternal abides with strange
influences of expansive power throughout successive gene
rations. The Stone of Fate on which our Sovereigns are
crowned in Westminster Abbey seems to echo, with the
voice of St. Columba, a benediction from that little western
isle, swelling out with all the responsibilities of a God-given
sovereignty, that the language which is winning the world
may waken all hearts to the wisdom of the Word of God.
The simple narrative of Columba is told in these verses
without any attempt at embellishment, but the memory of
that great Saint ought to stimulate all who, for health or
pleasure, visit the Western Isles, and especially Iona itself.

preface.
The modern traveller is too often only solicitous to satisfy
his curiosity with scenes that soon will pass away, whereas
the toilsome wanderings of the great Mission Saints who
came from the school of Columba have lifted up multitudes
from the darkness of Druidism to the life of Christ and the
vision of heaven. The light which they kindled did not
cease with their generation, but has been spreading ever
since. We are not to think, however, of pioneer Saints and
Missionaries as if they were raised up to satisfy the
peculiar possibilities of bygone generations. The inner
Christian life is the same from age to age, and unless we
are living true to its requirements as they did, we cannot
claim a vital participation in the inheritance of Christian
life which they have bequeathed to us. The centres of
ancient Missionary movement, such as Iona and Canterbury,
are not to be regarded merely with historic interest or
the veneration of hagiology. We must feel them to be
living with an inextinguishable flame which must perpetuate
in our own hearts its individual energy or shrivel us up in
the doom of a nature incapable of responding to their glow.
Saint Columba was born A.D. 520, and died A.D. 597.
Bishop Lightfoot's volume of sermons upon the Mission
ary Saints who came from Iona to evangelise the North of
Britain may be suggested as helpful to all those who
would turn the thought of Saint Columba's life to profit
able account for themselves.
R. M. B.

Dedication ....... v
Preface ........ vii
LIFE OF ST. COLUMBA.
•The Mother's Vision .... i
•St. Buite's Prophecy .... 2
St. Moghta's Prophecy . . . 2
¦Transcribing Holy Scripture ... 3
¦St. Finnian's treasured Psalter . . 3
-The Stranger watching the Transcriber . 4
•King Dermott decides against Columba . 4
The Feast at Tara .... 5
-Columba's Anger .... 5
-The Northern Neills rallying for vengeance . 6
-The Monastic Schools formed by Columba
in Ireland ..... 6
The Song of Trust ...... 7
¦The Battle of the Book . . 9
¦Excommunication of Columba . . . 11
St. Brendon's Vision and Welcome . . 12
¦Columba's Self-condemnation ... 13
The Sentence pronounced by St. Molaise . 14
Columba Sails with Twelve Disciples . 18
Arrival at Iona . . . . 18
The Spread of Christian Missions . . 19
•The Age of Renaissance and Modern
Languages . . . . . 19
•Albyn or Dalriada . . . . 21
The Stork that flew from Ireland . . 23
Columba's Royal Lineage ... 24
¦The Roman Armies could not conquer the
Picts ...... 25

Contents.

PAGE

Stanza XLVi.— Columba goes forth on his Pictish Tour . 25
„ xlvii. — Brude, the Pictish King, orders the gates
to be closed against Columba . 26
„ xlix. — Columba's Voice .... 27
„ Li. — Columba's Missionary Journeys on foot . 28
„ Lin. — His Journeys in the Coracle amidst the
Lakes ..... 29
„ LVl. — Consecration of Aidan as King, the first
Religious Coronation in Western Europe 30
„ lvii. — Columba's Vision of the Angel . . 31
„ lviii. — The "Vitreous Codex" . .31
„ lix. — Columba sails to meet Aidan at Iona . 32
„ LX. — The Stone of Fate, now basement of Throne
in Westminster Abbey ... 32
„ lxii. — Dalriada set free from dependence upon the
Scots in Ireland . . -33
„ lxiii. — The Parliament at Drumceatt, presided
over by the Irish King Aedh and the
Dalriadan Aidan .... 34
„ lxv. — Columba at the Parliament maintains the
cause of the Bards .... 35
„ lxx. — The presence of Angels round about
Columba ..... 37
„ lxxiii.— How two Monks beheld Columba in ecstasy,
followed by great grief ... 39
„ LXXV. — The revelation that he has four years to live 40
„ lxxvii. — The appointed year of death . . 41
„ LXXIX. — The Sunday before his death . . 42
„ lxxxviii.— The Horse weeping in his master's lap . 46
„ XCI. — Columba blesses the Community . 48
„ xcn. — He predicts the future of desolation, and
renewal ..... 48
„ c. — Columba dies in the act of benediction . 52

Note on the House of Retreat, Iona . . . . 55

Saint Columba.

> T Lacknacor while Aithne slept of old, , The Mother.s
An angel came with message from on high. Vlslon-
The brilliant form a dazzling robe unroll'd :
She woke : and still the charm entranced her eye.
Fain would she take the gift exultingly !
But no ! Her grasp that vision may not stay :
It spreads with mystic lustre o'er the sky,
Borne upwards by the angel. Earth grows gay
With showers of bloom shed down from regions far away.
II.
Aithne, did heav'n's symbolic loveliness
With motherly emotion stir thy frame ?
Did some prophetic cry of man's distress
Ring through thine heart with pity's tender claim,
Making the echo of a Saviour's name
Call up the virtue of redemptive might
To mark thine offspring? As the symbol came,
Surely thy mind in rapture of delight
Rose up to drink the joy of that which met thy sight !

Saint Columba.

St. Buite's
Prophecy.

Isaiah, lx. 8.

III.
Aithne, thy child, with plaintive, dovelike voice,
Shall gather kindred saintly souls. They come :
Their wings with heav'n's ethereal gold rejoice :
The windows of the rocks supply their home.
God's voice of love they bear, and widely roam.
St. Buite, dying, blest the babe's first hour: —
"Great before God and man, this dove, Colombe,
With tender utterance of the Spirit's power,
Shall raise with life renew'd the lost, long hidden tower."

St. Mochta's
Prophecy.

IV.
Thus holy Mochta's words of hope sublime
Shall find fulfilment. Britain's stranger spake
Of one who, in the closing age of time,
With dove-like purity should rise, and make
The ocean-isles an empire. He shall take
The countless rocks in love's strong grasp. His reign
No earthly storms of worldly passion shake :
His sovereignty of love shall still remain :
Realms broad'ning in their power shall still his love retain.

Saint Columba.

V.
It was a lovely art Columba learnt,
To trace God's Word ; and as the written page
Took form beneath his pen, his spirit burnt
With correspondent glow. High thoughts engage
His mind : and contemplation's heritage
With heav'nly transport of divine delight
Soothed many a struggle of earth's pilgrimage.
The Psalms, the Gospels, which he loved to write,
Shone as though writ with gold dropp'd from th' ethereal
height. VI.
There was a Psalter, work of wondrous care :
'Twas Finnian's treasure. This Columba will'd
By his own toil to duplicate. His prayer
Might be denied to him if Finnian nill'd.
He therefore plann'd to have his wish fulfill'd,
And in the chapel, after hours were said,
Continued writing when the house was still'd.
His heart gazed heav'nwards, and his fingers sped
In fellowship of light, whose aureole crown'd his head.
3

TranscribingHoly Scripture.

St. Finnian's
treasuredPsalter.

Saint Columba.

The stranger
watching the
transcriber.

VII.
The graceful script reveal'd the heart of love,
Whose joyous toil shone out, as nights went by.
The page grew glorious, but the sacred Dove,
With lustre yet more bright, mysteriously
Kindled his form. The night was dark on high.
The writer's hands were beaming. Mystic rays
Shed brightness all around. A human eye
With wonder watch'd to see the heav'nly blaze.
The light which lights the saint, the heav'nly scribe betrays.

King Dermott
decides against
Columba.

VIII.
He saw the lighted chamber and drew near,
That through the crevice he the cause might know.
In effluent brilliance see the saint appear !
He hastes to Finnian the strange truth to show.
The furious Abbot raged : — " Full well I know
His stealthy craft. Though he my will defied,
Mine is his toil. The calf goes with the cow ! "
— So 'twixt the strugglers Dermott must decide.
He scorns Columba's claim ! He serves the Abbot's pride !
4

Saint Columba.

IX.
In Tara's halls it was a time of feast,
And Dermott reign'd supreme, as Connaught's heir.
Curnan took part therein, a royal guest ;
He join'd in sports with a young lordling there,
He struck and slew him. Then did he repair,
Seeking asylum at Columba's knees.
Dermott refused the claim. The boy must bear
The penalty of passion. Revelries
Begun for mirthful joy, find voice in madd'ning cries.

The feast
at Tara.
Curnan kills a
young lordling.
Dermott re
fuses Columba's
right of
Asylum.

But, O Columba, can it be that thou
Wilt suffer war's wild fires to rage around ?
Yea ! shall thy voice bid Erin's life-blood flow
In fratricidal carnage to the ground?
Must holy zeal in earthly pride be drown'd ?
Restrain thy wrath, since God Himself is near !
Let wrath be hush'd, and meek devotion crown'd !
Love still must purge thy breast, and bless thy prayer?
What vengeful boast is this which Erin quails to hear ?
5

Columba'sanger.

Saint Columba.

The Northern
Neills rallying
for vengeance
against Dermott and
the South.

XI.
" Though Dermott reign supreme in Tara's hall,
Each Northern Neill shall arm himself for fight ;
And vengeance on the sacrilege must fall,
Which bids defiance to Columba's might !
Let Connaught's chieftains rally for their right.
Thou murder'd boy ! not vain thy sanctuary !
Tyrconnell's clansmen for thy cause unite.
From outraged heav'n comes forth the great decree
To make thy vengeance sure, Columba's victory.

The Monastic
schools already
formed by
Columba in
Ireland.

XII.
" The book ! the boy ! Has Dermott twice defied
The chosen child of heav'n ? It may not be !
Not vainly bards and saints have prophesied
Of glory, greater far than Royalty,
Which waits upon my steps. From me, from me,
Houses of holy learning, Erin's boast,
Have sprung to life. The glorious destiny
Shall not by Dermott's wilfulness be lost.
I call the clans to join, and crush the accursed host."
6

Saint Columba.
XIII.
He spake, and wander'd forth with vengeful plan :
His wild self-will no crippling fears should bar :
The storm-cloud seem'd to tread the earth as man,
Calling the powers of darkness from afar
To burst in thunders of electric war.
Match'd with his mighty form his utt'rance rang !
Alone, it seem'd, the charge of heav'n he bore,
While forth in God's own cause he boldly sprang,
And on his lonely march, the Psalm of trust he sang :

Uhc Song of TCrust.
[ail to the King in the sunlight of splendour !
Lone on the mountain my pathway is sure.
Nought can I fear if Thy guidance protect me !
Thousands of guards could not make me secure.
What though six thousand were guarding my body,
Fix'd and supreme must the death-time remain ;
Quick must I yield, though begirt by a fortress,
Ev'n in a church must a sinner be slain.
7

Saint Columba.

What though an island of rocks be my station,
Vain were the breadth of the sheltering lake !
Yea ! But where fiercest the battle is raging,
Still shall God's chosen of safety partake.
No man can slay till death's hour be determin'd,
Though we were grappling in sharpest of strife.
So when the death-time appears as appointed,
No man can lengthen the days of my life.
Whence is my life ? On His pleasure it waiteth :
Nought can be more — nothing less — than He please.
All He ordains must be done before dying :
That which He gives not, no princes can seize.
Guard me ! A guard can but guide on the journey !
Guards cannot hinder if death rushes on.
'Tis but the Virgin-born makes thee to prosper :
He to each guest gives a share of his own.
Oft what is spent will come back to the giver :
Treasure held tightly refuses to stay.
God ! on the evil Thou bringest Thy vengeance !
Ills come undreamt of, and hopes pass away !

Saint Columba.

Sreod there is none to ensure us the future,
Knots in the oak tree, or birds in their flight.
God is our King Whom we trust as Creator :
He will not leave me defenceless to-night.
Voices of birds and chance visions I heed not !
Love to a child or a wife were a dream !
Christ is my Druid, the Son of the Highest,
Born of the Virgin, the Abbot Supreme.
Father and Son with the Spirit most holy,
These shall preside o'er the lands I possess :
Kells is the home where my order is centred :
Moone shall be sharer, whatever I bless.

XIV.
Wild age of war ! Quick rose the Celtic blood
With civil strife to desolate the land !
Columba's vengeance may not be withstood :
Dermott must perish ! The mysterious hand
Which traced the Psalter, fails not in command
Of kindred tribes. Cooldrevny ! mourn thy slain !
Surely such flame of fight hell's host have fann'd :
But surely heav'n shall glorious triumph gain,
And earthly vengeance die, that heav'nly grace may reign.
9

The battle of
Cooldrevny,or the Battle of
the Book.

Saint Columba.

The book was
called the
Cathach: i.e.,
the Warrior. It
became in after-
time a charm as
a sure pledge
of victory if
properly
carried to the
fight.

XV.
The battle of the book ! In time to come
That book shall be a nation's treasured prize,
A charm ensuring legendary doom,
Resistless pledge of sovereign destinies.
The warrior-book I — But oh ! lift up your eyes !
The hand that wrote the Psalter is not slack :
Heav'n's own true light uplifts and glorifies !
Columba's heart, in penitence brought back,
Will be the Warrior-book, th' invincible Cathach !

XVI.
The hosts of heav'n and hell in conflict met.
Thy soul, Columba, was the citadel
For which they fought. Say! Is thy heart still set
On Derry's charms? And does thy breast still swell
With Irish rivalries invincible?
Or dost thou hear how angels pour their songs
Around thee, watching for thy saintly cell
To own the call Divine, that countless throngs
May praise with deathless voice the God Who rights all wrongs?

Saint Columba.

XVII.
Child of a race impulsive, quickly stirr'd
By glorious hopes, which at far distance view'd
Seem godlike! Pause, lest self's false voice be heard,
Feigning God's purpose ! Eager dreams elude
The sluggish reason ! So do we intrude
On God's authority ! — What hast thou done ?
Thou seest thyself with Christian blood imbrued !
Vainly thou seek'st to vindicate God's throne, —
Too hasty for God's will, so keen to work thine own !

XVIII.
In solemn majesty at Teilte meet
The Church's rulers. Can it be that he
Will not be with them there to take his seat,
Heav'n's chosen chief, and heir of royalty?
Does conscience make him quail ? Does their decree
Hold back as excommunicate the man
Who caused the slaughter? Nay! undauntedly,
As judged in absence, he ignores their ban :
He claims his outraged rights, the glory of his clan.
n

The Synod at
Teilte. Excommunication of
Columba.

Saint Columba.

St. Brendon's
vision and
welcome.

XIX.
Th' intruder stands 'mid scowling forms of hate.
He feels their crushing scorn, but there is one
Who springs to greet the excommunicate.
See Brendon's saintly arms around him thrown !
He shrinks not from the kiss, but quells their groan
With strain of heav'nly rapture. " Love Divine
Claims him absolved. That love ye all would own,
Could ye but see, as I, the fiery shrine,
Whose glory girds his form with bright prophetic sign.

xx.
" That fire outshines the guilty past. He bears
The mark of God's election. He shall do
A work of wonder through far distant years,
To grow in gifts of grace for ever new.
That fire shall lead him forth with guidance true,
And realms unknown shall see his work remain !
That deathless fire ensures him honour due.
I see heav'n gladden'd by a glorious train,
Who praise his word of power, his apostolic reign."
12

Saint Columba.

XXI.
Hush'd in mysterious awe, the conclave bow'd, Columba's self-
condemnation.
But self-condemn'd, Columba mourn'd his crime.
His heart leaps up to glorious conflict, vow'd
To be Christ's servant to all future time,
And people heav'n with saints from ev'ry clime !
Bravely would he fulfil the enterprise !
Now must he die to all that flatter'd him !
A nobler vision dawns upon his eyes,
From earthly triumph torn, to triumph in the skies.

XXII.
Vengeance, awake ! Columba's heart upsprings !
The doom shall match th' offence ! Resolv'd he goes,
Bearing the mission of the King of kings,
Upon himself such penance to impose
As shall make God the terror of his foes.
He would make God the partner of his pride :
But now no longer thus ! Himself he knows
As sin's vile slave. Through God's true love he died !
God's love thus truly giv'n no dreams of earth can hide.
13

Saint Columba.

XXIII.
Man's sentence doom'd him, but the prophet's voice
Reveal'd a hope that cannot be betray'd.
God's love unchanged still calls him to rejoice,
And grasp a destiny that will not fade.
The prophet saw him in that light array'd :
Hope basks and brightens in the light of love !
The glow that shall encircle him is made,
By those blest teachings of the heav'nly Dove,
A flame of inward might that no dull fears can move.

Consulting
with Saints
as to his peni
tence.The sentence
pronounced by
St. Molaise.

XXIV.
He went from house to house where frequent prayers
Rose at fixed hours to God by night and day,
And many a saint, whose penitential tears
Were known to rule in heaven with humble sway,
Gave, as he ask'd, blest counsels for the way.
But now Molaise the truth's stern sentence bore :
" Go forth ! Be lost to memory's earth-born ray !
Be dead to what thou wast ! Return no more !
Look forward, not behind ! Be dead to Erin's shore ! "
14

Saint Columba.

XXV.
So must it be ! Death must be love's strong test.
We love not, if we are not wholly lost
In that we love. The heart by God possest
Lives in God's love, no longer tempest-tost,
For earthly love remains but as a ghost,
The unsubstantial form to which we died ;
And God is seen still reigning uppermost,
With wid'ning hope, and love intensified,
A life, a power, a joy, still hung'ring, still supplied.
XXVI.
So must Columba die to Erin's charms,
If he would work for God ! What though his heart
Be rooted in her soil ! What though her arms
Enfold him, and her hills, her trees, her art,
Her smile so graceful, and her tongue so smart,
And homes of faith, which he has taught to grow,
Quickening his soul with life ! " Must I depart,
As if a thing accurst, — to die ? " — Not so!
Go, in God's love to live, and learn God's love to show !
i5

Saint Columba,
XXVII.
" O dearest Erin, can I tear my heart
From thine embrace ? Is this the price of heaven ?
Dare I no longer claim in thee my part ?
Is this the law to have my sin forgiven,
Mourning for Derry's lovely haunts, and driven
I know not whither ! Darkness shrouds the sky
If Erin's lustre fails ! But I have striven
To wield the conqu'ring sword of God, and I
Must learn God's law of strife, while to all else I die.
XXVIII.
" Erin, thy shore makes daylight to my soul !
While lingers some faint glimmer of the past,
Thy mem'ry still must hold its strong control !
Naught else can take its place while time shall last.
Erin, farewell, farewell ! The wind's strong blast
May bear my body hence, but love's decree
Will keep thy mem'ry sure ! Time flitting fast
Bears me to death ! 'Tis death to part from thee !
I die to earth, and live to God's eternity.
16

Saint Columba.
XXIX.
" Erin, I could not dare to trust my gaze,
If I could see thy cliffs far, far away !
'Twere daily death, to watch the evening haze
Blot out thy rocks from sight ! Love lights a day
Which knows no cloud, but bright with noon's array
Puts distance at defiance. Yea ! thy love
Shines all undimm'd and never can decay.
My heart still treads thy hills, where'er I rove :
I know no earth but thee ! I live for God above !
xxx.
"Vengeance shall move my steps, to Christ to win
As many souls as by my fault were slain.
Those lost their life, the heritage of sin !
These now, sin's slaves, new life Divine shall gain !
I leave my home, and cross the stormy main,
By Truth's almighty word a realm to found.
Truth's echoing triumphs shall call forth a train
With hymns of praise for ever to resound.
The sea-girt rock shall ring to distant regions round ! "
17 B

Saint Columba.

Columba sails
with twelve
disciples.

Colonsay re
jected as being
within sight of
the Irish shore.

XXXI.
A coracle puts forth unto the deep,
Columba and the twelve. Let heav'n be gay,
And God's blest winds their steadfast impulse keep
To bear them for God's work upon their way !
Their bark shines out, as with a dawning day,
To wake wide worlds to wisdom, to expand
To realms unknown. They halt at Colonsay,
But not to find a home, for Erin's strand
Is still in view. They sail, for a predestined land.

XXXII.
Arrival at iona. Iona, when thy rocky ledge they trod,
And clomb thy cliff, then sight of home was gone.
Now they are launch'd upon the sea of God !
Not Erin's greenery, but God's high throne .
Must be their portion — God, and God alone!
Dark penance doom'd : but glad obedience bow'd,
And hope's prophetic lustre lured them on.
What light of countless stars through heav'n's dark shroud
Waited ! Creation throbs with songs exceeding loud !
18

Saint Columba.

XXXIII.
God's heralds land upon the chosen isle :
Surely new songs of angels bless the hour.
Let there be light ! Wake, wake, to God's own smile !
The Dove has dropt the seed of deathless power.
Here buds anew small Bethl'hem's matchless flower.
The islands of the sea with distant song
Echo the Voice which once was Israel's dower, —
In circling chorus, Norway's polar throng,
An unknown west, and these in China caged so long.

The spread of
Christian Mis-

" These from
the north and
from the west,
and these from
the land of
Sinim." —
Is. xlix. iz.

XXXIV.
A new day dawns. An era of new speech
Receives the cradle of a world new-born.
Tongues yet unformed triumphantly shall teach
The claim redemptive, with trilingual scorn
In ancient tongues contemptuously borne
Before the King Divine, but pregnant still
With mystic truth to make the nations mourn.
From this uncultured isle the Sovereign will
Speeds missions that shall spread the darken'd world to fill.
19

The age of
renaissanceand modern
languages.
The Title upon
the Cross in
Hebrew, Greek,
and Latin.

Saint Columba.
XXXV.
The work must widely spread, but all is nought,
Unless the well-spring of the o'erflowing tide,
Mov'd by a power more deep than human thought,
Rise from creation's centre, glorified
By the Creator's touch, expanding wide
With inspiration's thrill through each bright choir,
That finds new life in list'ning, till it bide
In infinite unity of Divine desire : —
God's love its fontal source, God's love its final fire!
XXXVI.
Eph. vi. iz. He parts from Erin for the love of God,
And in that love he yet must learn to live,
No longer tied by earth's self-will, but shod
With freedom of Evangelist, to give
True utterance to God's love dispensative.
He must respond, and with adoring gaze
Reflects the brightness which his lips receive !
O blest novitiate of a heart ablaze,
In cloister'd colloquy, with God's eternal rays !

Saint Columba.
XXXVII.
He learnt to rule himself, and still his sway
Sustain'd the houses which himself of yore
Had founded. With glad heart .they still obey,
And still his influence spreads on Albyn's shore.
The Christian name reviving more and more
Shone with mysterious lustre. Connell gave
The island ; and God's hosts rejoiced to pour
Answers to prayer, as constant as the wave
Whose fixed recurrence rose the barren rock to lave.

XXXVIII.
Fixt was the prayer : the answer never fail'd.
See what a force those wattled huts enshrine !
Against Dalriada the Pict prevail'd :
But now the powers of heaven with earth combine !
To faith's clear sight their guardian legions shine,
And words that ring through hearts to earth made void
Come back to earth with glory all Divine.
The hours in Psalter-transcript long employ'd
Rise in eternal song that ne'er shall be destroy'd.

Albyn or Dal
riada, the
western coast
of what is now
called Scot
land. The
population was
partly Christ
ian, but some
what lapsed.
The islands
were a border
land, claimed
by these set
tlers and by the
heathen Picts,
with whom
they were often
at war.

Saint Columba.
XXXIX.
A central hut upon a rising ground
Served as Columba's cell. He watched in prayer
For the small company assembled round,
And for the mighty int'rests everywhere,
Which claimed his anxious heart. The stone was here
Which served him as a couch for needful sleep.
Here penn'd he words Divine in transcript fair :
And went forth hence, the garden's bloom to keep,
Or claim the helpful breeze for duties o'er the deep.
XL.
Here as the monks beheld his mighty form
With all the dignity of royal race, —
His anger rising like a thunderstorm, —
His sympathetic smile with cheerful grace
Calling the mournful to his lov'd embrace, —
His eye that flash'd with hopes Divinely given —
His thoughtful brow — the radiance of his face —
And heard his voice, as though the rocks were riven, —
They felt the God-sent power, th' ambassador of heaven.

Saint Columba.
XLI.
All nature seem'd in homage to bow down,
As if man's primal reign o'er beast and bird
Were now restor'd in him. He wore a crown
Mightier than princely power. Unseen, unheard,
Love's presence cloth'd his form where'er he stirr'd !
All nature echoes to the voice of love !
Strange power which God's creative Breath conferr'd,
Making creation one ! Sprung from above,
It gives resistless might, where'er its glance may move !

XLII.
Thus to a monk in later years he spake —
His heart expanding with prophetic sight —
" Go to the western shore : thy station take :
Here on this day an Irish guest shall light,
A stork, much wearied with the length of flight.
Erin is her true home, — my home before !
Tend her for Erin's sake, to mem'ry bright !

She'll rest in exile till three days be o'er!
On the third day — back, back ! to Erin's much lov'd shore !"
23

The stork that
Hew from
Ireland.

Saint Columba.

Columba was
kinsman to the
royal house of
Dalriada, as
well as to
several royal
ties in Ireland.

XLIII.
There is no limit to love's glorious voice !
The heart of brute responds to it. Its reach
O'erleaps all space, and bids mankind rejoice.
This made Columba powerful to preach
Throughout Dalriada. He sought to teach
The truth which was his life. Fresh houses grew,
And natural kinship learnt the nobler speech
Of supernatural love. Thus rose anew
The faith that seem'd to wane, and throngs proclaim'd it true.

The royal
houses of
Ireland,
although akin
to each other,
were, alas !
constantly at
war.

XLIV.
Erin herself rose up to new estate !
The sea might sunder ! But on either shore
One faith, one love, was strong to consecrate
A better unity than breath'd of yore
In rivalries of blood. Columba bore
A pledge within himself of empire vast
Transfused, and thus increasing more and more.
Derry's sweet memories of the undying past
Are train'd fresh life to find, and live while life shall last.
24

Saint Columba.

XLV.
Rome's armies quail'd, unable to repel
The painted tribes descended from Loch Ness.
Ye heroes of the hills ! What power shall quell
Your warrior hosts ? What discipline repress
Your constant inroads ? Pause and learn to bless
The conqu'ror ! Lakes and rivers, praise the Lord !
Not waters now which demon-powers possess,
But living streams, from God's own throne outpour'd,
'Midst Caledonia's hills, shall heav'n's true peace afford.

The Roman
armies could
not conquer
the Picts.
The Druids of
North Scotland
regarded the
waters as
homes of
spiritualpossession.

XLVI.
Th' invading Pict has joined in deadly strife
With southern settlers ruling on the west :
But now it is another world whose life
Calls them from Druid darkness to be blest.
Columba must fulfil his great behest,
To win fresh souls to Christ from heathendom !
Faith's impulse cannot loiteringly rest :
All is prepared around ! " I come ! I come ! "
His fearless heart goes forth : let hostile powers be dumb !
25

Columba goes
forth on his
Pictish tour.

Saint Columba.

Brude, the
Pictish King,
orders the
gates to be
closed against
Columba.The sign of the
Cross.Columba'smarvellousvoice.The gates fly
open as by
miracle.

XLVII.
Throngs from all parts have heard Columba's fame.
Northward he comes, and Brude, the Pictish King
Awaits him proudly. " Let the serfs proclaim
We cannot heed his message. Let him bring
What words he likes ! Him and his words we fling
In scorn away ! Bar well the gates." — Vain pride !
See angel hosts this monk encompassing !
Columba's hand invoked the Crucified !
That great voice shook the walls, and quick the gates flew wide!

XLVIII.

Probably some Brude at his council table sat amazed,

of those in
Brude's castle
were already
secretlyinclined to
becomeChristians.

And all around him felt the power Divine.
The Druid priests in angry hate were dazed,
But varied hearts through varied faces shine,
As love's surprise, or wondering fear incline.
The hour of worship comes. The saintly band
Lift up the entrancing strain of song benign :
Th' affrighted Druids hasten to withstand,
But all are held enchain'd in heav'n's sublime command.
26

Saint Columba.

XLIX.
Columba could not speak the Pictish tongue,
But Pictish eyes and ears were held in awe.
As now Columba leads the mystic song,
An influence fills the air ne'er felt before :
Sweet calmness mingled with the thunder's roar!
His mighty form with God's own fulness fired !
" Eternal Goodness bids my heart adore — "
So he began : — " I speak, by heav'n inspired,
The words of royal truth, the King so long desired."

Mighty the voice that spake ! But mightier still
The faith which rising to the heavenly height
Lived in God's presence! The Almighty Will
Fill'd him with glory, clothing him with light :
The Druids' darkness shiver'd with affright :
The penetrating sound of prayer ascends !
God hears : God answers. 'Tis the work of might !
The holy sign, the sacred name, befriends :
And many a loving heart in holy homage bends.
27

Columba, as
years went on,
could speak the
Pictish tongue,
but at first he
preached
through an
interpreter.When the
Druids
entreated that
the monks
might not sing,
Columba vociferated the
opening words
of Psalm 45 in
Latin. His
voice could be
heard at an
inconceivabledistance.

Saint Columba.

Columba's Missionary
journeys on
foot.

LI.
The conflict must be long. Through many a year
Columba's feet those distant hills, must tread,
Strengthen'd by penance still to persevere :
Oft 'neath their sores the rocky path grew red :
In winter oft the snow became his bed :
But love still bound him to the Crucified,
And Oh ! 'twas sweet to bleed for Him Who bled !
He lov'd to write the tale of Him Who died :
He lov'd the sacred page adorn'd with skilful pride : —

LII.
But better far on Caledonia's hills
To write in ink which time could ne'er displace, —
The ink of his own blood, which Calv'ry fills
With virtues of imperishable grace, —
Nay, not his own blood now, for Jesu's face
Shines in each drop, reflecting from above
His own Divine effulgence — thus to trace
The constant tale of ever-living love,
The love which makes pain bold, a Saviour's love to prove.
28

Saint Columba.

LIII.
Toil could not stay his march. His hide-bound boat
Bore him and his where lofty forests frown
Reflected in the lake. With joy they float,
Their hearts aye buoyant with the truth they own.
No sunlit breeze has ere such glory known.
Yea, when the stormy waters have denied
Their progress, still in prayer they labour'd on.
They sang that heav'n might hear ! Hark, how they cried !
The tempest's power is hushed ! In grateful calm they ride !

His journeys
in the coracle
amidst the
lakes.

LIV.
Their song was mightier than the howling wind :
From the deep cavern of the soul it sprang,
As taught by God, and form'd by Him to find
Mysterious echoes. While the strugglers sang,
Demons took flight, and angel-trumpets rang,
Op'ning men's weary hearts in regions wild
To hail the strangers' tidings. — Awed they hang
On words so new, so welcome ! — Sweetly smiled
The light that stills all storms, all-conqu'ring, undefil'd !
29

Saint Columba.

LV.
Many churches Thus through the hills long clothed in heathen night
in the region of
the Picts trace Columba's rule took root with wid'ning sway.
the'Reiigious0 New nomes of love beneath its mystic light
Houses settled Learnt by Iona's discipline to pray.
by Columba. J f f J
The rock where Connell bade the settlers stay
Becomes the centre of new dynasties.
Erin's dear love remains. New hearts obey.
The Pict confirms the grant. The hallowing skies
Send benedictions down, with God's own life to rise.

The consecra
tion of Aidan as
King was the
first Religious
Coronation
Service in
Western Europe.

LVI.
A heav'nly empire girds Columba's brow.
Kings humbly sue that he their crowns may bless.
Connell has died : and to Columba now
The chieftain Aidan comes. Though he possess
What earth can give, yet seeks he righteousness
To consecrate his title. In this hour
He, first of Western Chiefs, receives th' impress
Which lifts him up from brute, barbaric power
To God's Vicegerent grace, the throne of heav'nly dower.
30

Saint Columba.

LVII.
Both Aidan and his brother sought the throne.
Columba's heart preferr'd the brother's claim :
Yet to himself was Aidan kindly known
By many acts in friendship's holy name.
He did not meet him with a charge of blame,
But chose the rival's cause. Now dreams o'ertake
His eyes when far from home. An angel came
As with command from God that he should make
The throne to Aidan sure : " Wake to God's work ! Awake ! "

Columba's vision of the
angel who came
to him three
times charging
him to conse
crate Aidan.

LVIII.
He woke. His heart still clung to his desire !
Can he resist God's will? Again, again,
On two succeeding nights the angel's fire
Lit up the room, and call'd him to refrain
From self-will'd judgment. Longer to remain
In doubt were disobedience. He must rise !
The angel brought a book whose leaves contain
The fitting office. This before his eyes
With crystal gems he show'd, then bore it to the skies.
3i

The "Vitreous
Codex," shown
to Columba by
the angel and
then taken
back to heaven.

Saint Columba.

Columba sails
to meet Aidan
at Iona.

LIX.
He can no longer rest in his self-will !
He that would act for heav'n to self must die !
The threefold warning calls him to fulfil
A hallowing trust of God's own sov'reignty.
He sails with ready zest to sanctify
The coming reign. — But who could then foretell
The future of that act, the destiny
Which from that trickling stream of grace should swell
With fertilising gifts, in world-wide praise to dwell !

The Stone of
Fate, which
now forms the
basement of the
Throne in
WestminsterAbbey.

LX.
Columba hastes the suppliant chief to greet,
Who seeks his blessing on Iona's shore.
No sculptured wealth was there to frame the seat
With art's imprisoning pomp, while numbers pour
Their shouts !' A new-born nation's voice could soar
With nought but present joy ! Yet one great soul
Rapt with inspiring hope through heav'n's bright door
Could watch the future. Wondrous visions roll !
He speaks the word and sees worlds rise beyond control !
32

Saint Columba.
LXI.
His blessing rests upon the Stone of Fate,
Initial throne of British Sov'reignty !
Round that mysterious stone where Aidan sate,
Successive hosts, in loyal ecstasy,
With growing power of circumstantial glee,
Shall gather near in ages far away,
With life still strong though fading figures flee,
To bless the rock-born empire, from that day
Claimant of deathless rule, while heav'n inspires her sway.

LXII.
Columba gave the blessing : yet remains
A task to be performed, before the throne
Of Aidan can be perfected. The chains,
Which Erin's old colonial grasp might own,
Must not be snapt, but changed to union.
Such lasting brotherhood both states shall light
With mutual joy. Columba's mighty tone
Dooms the new realm to perish in the fight,
If e'er the aggressive arm shall trench on Erin's right.
33 (

Dalriada set
free from
dependenceupon the Scots
in Ireland.

Saint Columba.

The Parliament
assembled at
Drumceatt for
fourteenmonths. Both
the Irish King
Aedh and the
Dalriadan
Aidan presided
jointly. N.B.— It is
certain that
Columba did
return to
Ireland upon
this occasion,
and upon
several
occasions subsequently.

LXIII.
Throngs at Drumceatt were gather'd. The two kings,
Aedh, Erin's monarch, Aidan, newly crown'd,
Presided. See ! Columba fitly springs
Into the place of influence. All around
Own his supremacy. A power profound
Waits on his will. It was a mighty host
For fourteen months upon the tented ground,
Nobles and clergy, chief of Erin's boast,
Through mindful years to last, in memory never lost.
LXIV.
For Albyn's freedom and for Erin's peace
Columba strove. His eager words implore —
Nay, give command ! Love would not brook release.
Derry's green haunts, with native joys of yore,
In living memories bind him as before.
Though now his form impersonates the needs
Of kinsfolk dwelling on a distant shore.
Both realms are one : for both he intercedes,
As Erin's faithful child, and Albyn's sire he pleads.
34

Saint Columba.
LXV.
But yet another cause demands his heart !
Himself a bard, the bards he must sustain ! —
Dare not, vile King ! to spurn the inspiring art,
Which makes remember'd glories live again,
And rouses present strength to future strain !
The harps of Erin wait in silence near
To bless their saint and blast thy worthless reign.
Crouch to the voice whose thunder, void of fear,
Shall vindicate their power and make their victory clear !
LXVI.
Columba spake and conquer'd. All around
The harps, from threatened doom delivered, wake
With grateful exultation. Hear the sound
In storm of passionate effusion break
From minstrel choirs ! Hear blind old Dalian take
The lead in song, to raise Columba's fame.
Oh ! with what watchful wisdom Baithene spake !
Yea, for he saw a cloud of pride which came
Veiling the conqu'ror's brow ! So glory turns to shame.
35

Columba at the
Parliament
maintains the
cause of the
bards, on whom
the King would
inflict banish
ment and out
lawry, even if
he would not
have them
massacred.They were a
powerful cor
poration, pro
bably existing
in Druidical
times. They
were the poets
genealogists, historians, and
musicians of
the country,
and when they
were Christian
ised, they were
the great
supporters of
the traditional
faith.

Blind old
Dalian Fergall,
the chief of the
corporation of
the bards.
Dalian
composed the
Ambhra, or
Praise of St.
Columba,which was kept
back until after
his death.
St. Baithene
succeededColumba as
head of the
Iona monks.

Saint Columba.
LXVII.
" The dead be worshipp'd ! Hush the voice of song
Which drowns the living whom it seeks to praise !
Such words of homage never can belong
To those whose hearts are basking in the rays
Of God's true welcome. Wait for deathless days ! "
Columba hush'd the singer, and attain'd
A triumph over self. A hallowing blaze
Shone through the song when death's dark shore was gain'd.
It taught proud souls to die, in heav'nly wisdom train'd.
LXVIII.
Columba, ever conqu'ring with thy God,
Thou mak'st thy steps a march of victory.
The fires of grace spring up where thou hast trod,
For in thy breast love burnt triumphantly.
Therefore thy touch gives life. All ills must flee.
In chorus blest, attendant angels sing,
Whilst in thy heart the light of truth they see,
Making thy words Divine with power to bring
Tidings of God's pure love, Redeemer, Lord, and King.
36

Saint Columba.

LXIX.
Hard vict'ries, inly won, make strong the soul
To breathe the sov'reign peace which angels share :
Resistlessly their outward thunders roll
Responsive to thy penance, fast, and prayer.
Interior gifts, interior toils, prepare
To lead the weary battle day by day :
Yet while success surrounds thee, still beware !
Self-conquest is the law of lasting sway :
Bow down to heav'n and rule, by learning to obey !
LXX.
Mysterious fellowship! Unnumbered hosts The presence
. of angels round
Strengthen the loving soul that perseveres ! aboutCoiumba.
Such brilliant guardianship Columba boasts :
In frequent embassage their sheen appears
To fill the air around him : and he hears
The messages of warrant from on high !
A king of men ! The glorious form he bears
Seems meet to mingle with such destiny,
In solitude austere, hell's darkness to defy.
37

Saint Columba.

The radiant
glory encircling
him in devotion.

LXXI.
The light Divine, on which he heav'nward gaz'd,
Lit up his form as from his heart it shone.
Oh ! how his lov'd ones, silent and amazed,
Watch'd him in holy transport, fixt, alone,
Or, rather, holding colloquy with One
Whose Presence hid all others from the sight,
Itself a power mysteriously made known
Which from his breast came forth in converse bright,
A radiant utt'rance blest, a sweet responsive light !

LXXII.
Blest heart, that in the joyance of God's love
Holdest sweet colloquy with worlds unseen ! —
Thy brightness makes earth's shrouding veil remove,
Though from our gaze dark fogs that intervene
Oft make us think thee lost. The glow serene
Of God-enthroning angels melts the clay
Of earth's dense crust. Fresh bursts the deathless sheen.
The joy of God in heav'n's unclouded day
Reveals in outward smile what thy sure powers survey.
38

Saint Columba.

LXXIII.
Such joy suffused his face unspeakably
When two were watching. Dazzlingly it shone,
As though the lustre of God's majesty,
Gazing through human eyes to His own Throne
Lifted him up in perfect union !
Joy beyond words ! But darkness then returned !
They watch'd, and with much rev'rence bowing down,
Ask'd what that joy could be, for their hearts yearn'd
To know that height of bliss, that grief which they discern'd.

How two
monks beheld
Columba in
ecstasy, fol
lowed by great
grief.

LXXIV.
"Ye ask what is not good for you to know." —
" Father, our hearts desire that thou shouldst tell :
Vouchsafe the mystery of thy joy to show." —
They ask'd with tears, and at his feet they fell. —
" Promise me that, while here on earth I dwell,
Ye speak to none of that which I declare." —
" Ev'n so, good father, but our hearts know well
That we are much concern'd the truth to hear.
Thy secret deign to tell ! Grant us its truth to share ! "
39

How they
sought to have
the cause made
known to them.

Saint Columba.

Columba's answer.

The revelation
that he has four
years to live.

LXXV.
" My sons, I pray'd that God would not delay
To call me hence, for thirty years are run.
I pray'd that He would end my toilsome way.
I know His goodness when my work is done,
Nor dare I grieve if still that toil lives on.
God heard my prayer. The angels came. They stand
On yonder rocks to bear me to God's Throne.
But still four years they wait ! So God's command
Yields to the Church's prayers, that rise throughout the land.

LXXVI.
" Four years ! " — with sighs he spake ! He sigh'd again !
The waiting angels on the other shore
Were present to his eye — " The heav'nly train
Must wait that time ere they unclose the door.
My exiled nature must those years deplore
Since God has fixt it, but at length shall be
The vision blest for which in heart I soar.
In sudden painless flight their ministry
Shall bear me to my Lord, to .be for ever free."
40

Saint Columba.

LXXVII.
The four years are fulfill'd : and now the Saint
Can seek the rest he has so long desired.
By vigil-prayers long strain'd, by fastings faint,
His feeble frame now lacks the strength requir'd
To tread his wonted way, by heav'n inspired.
The car is brought to take him to the west,
That long-lov'd souls, in lonely toil retired,
May share th' anticipation of that rest
Whose joy eternal shines with welcome to his breast.

The appointed
year of death.

LXXVIII.
He spake of death — " In truth I might have died
Weeks back, but God has left me until now.
I chose with you, my children, to abide
Till Paschal-tide was over. Now I go
At God's glad call. He left me here below,
For so I ask'd, that death might not defile
Your Easter joy, which should no mourning know.
So, turning eastward, let me bless the isle !
God's love shall rest on thee ! God's ever-fruitful smile ! '
41

He had re
quested not to
cause mourning
in Paschal-tide
by dying during
those days.

Saint Columba.

The Sunday
before his
death,

LXXIX.
" Expel all poisons from the shore I love :
Let holiness go forth with quick'ning power :
Here let true praise ascend to God above ;
Hallowing with worship each returning hour." —
The Lord's Day came ; and like a lofty tower
He stood before the altar. A strange light
Shed through the holy place a fiery shower.
A joy responsive to the heav'nly height
Seem'd to lift up his form in ecstasy of might.

An angel shed
light through
the church.

LXXX.
His children ask'd what they might learn from this.
" Ye saw the light, my sons, but I could see
An holy angel from the loftiest bliss.
He came to search throughout the sanctuary
For somewhat that God left mysteriously
In trust amongst us. God solicited
That trust : and, O th' ethereal subtilty
Of angel natures ! Blessings here he shed,
And through th' unopening roof in heavenward course he
sped ! " 42

Saint Columba.
LXXXI.
The saintly soul was that which God required :
And it was waiting till the call were given.
Columba's heart, by eager hope inspired,
Lived ever in companionship with heaven.
Though oft by powers infernal rudely driven,
Yet knew he well the strength by God sent down.
His heart, by angels girt, could ne'er be riven
By outward wrong, for in that heart was known
God's love, which gave him life, God's life, that love to own.
LXXXII.
Blest Whitsun-Eve ! Diarmit's arm upbore Whitsun-Eve
The Abbot. Let his parting benison Diarmitcon-
ducts Columba
Enrich the barn. Two heaps upon the floor t0 bless the
Lay winnow'd. Hear his thanks : " When I . am gone
Ye have your twelve months' food." —
" God's will be done !
But wherefore speak of dying ? "  " Keep unsaid
The secret I disclose. 'Twill soon be won.
God shows me that this night I too shall tread
The way my fathers trod. Rejoice then with the dead !
43

barn.

Saint Columba.
LXXXIII.
"It is the Sabbath— Sabbath truly here—
For all earth's griefs are past, and I shall know
No waking in this weary atmosphere.
The matin-song shall speak of ended woe,
And heav'n's true day when God His face will show.
Himself our joy in psalms, Himself remains
Our psalm of endless rest ! While here below,
No heart can learn its fulness. Noblest strains
Of angels fail to tell. None learns it till he gains ! "
LXXXIV.
To watch while death advances, fills the soul
With awful sense of that mysterious power
Which holds our breathing in its strong control.
Absorb'd we wait, unconscious of the hour,
Till the frail petals of the much-lov'd flower
Fall from their calyx on the ground beneath.
The weakness quells us, and each voice grows lower
While watching, hush'd, beside the bed of death !
Frail, helpless, bow'd, we stand — and weakness triumpheth.
44

Saint Columba.
LXXXV.
But nature, startled, feels God's sov'reignty,
All failing weakness lost in matchless might,
If God reveals the hour of His decree
To summon hence the heir of heav'nly light !
The Word stands clear; and to th' eternal height
Man looks, and in the presence of God's Throne
Drinks greatness from God's greatness infinite.
God speaks : God's word comes near : and man must own
To what great end he grows, by that which God has shown.
LXXXVI.
So these two saints in contemplation dwelt
Pond'ring the truth which God's blest Spirit brought.
God's hand was all their stay. His love they felt
In personal closeness. Thus Divinely taught
They both were hush'd in one absorbing thought.
God gave : God takes : and death can never break
The bond of love which God's own hand has wrought.
Silent they homeward turn. No words could make
Fit utterance for that love which in such silence spake,
45

Saint Columba.

Columba and
Diarmit rest as
they return.

LXXXVII.
Columba's soul was gazing on the Lord :
His weary body scarcely could go on,
Though leaning on Diarmit. " See ! this sward
Will give us brief repose. Here sit we down !
And list ! O that blest song which was begun
When Jesus came to earth ! It cannot cease
And surely all that breathe must join in one,
When Jesus calls the soul in heav'nly peace
To find in Him the joy of His sublime release."

The horse
weeping in his
master's lap.

LXXXVIII.
Around th' expectant soul angelic throngs
With strains supernal fill th' enraptured ear :
But see what mute affection joins their songs !
A humble fellow-labourer hastens near, —
The horse which knew the touch to him so dear,
His master's kindliness. His head must lie
Within that master's lap. With many a tear
He waits the loss foreseen.  " God's mystery
Has taught the loving brute more than man's thought
could spy ! " 46

Saint Columba.
LXXXIX.
A mighty instinct rules in loving hearts :
The selfish boast of knowledge often dies
In isolating pride. Pure love imparts
A high capacity that will arise
Through visible forms to spheres beyond the skies.
So there are hidden worlds where mind is mute,
Which we can only know by sympathies.
Love lives supreme through angel, man, and brute.
Love is creation's source, and love creation's fruit.

xc.
The dying Saint that brute's great grief could share.
He knew that God had form'd him, not to live
As man's vile drudge, but in his place to bear
Man's destiny. From man he should receive
All needful tenderness : and God will give
A share in His great love eternally.
" Leave then the creature undisturb'd to grieve :
His daily burden he has borne for me :
Leave him to weep, since God thus shows His great decree."
47

" The creature
itself also shall
be delivered
from the
bondage of
corruption into
the glorious
liberty of the
children of
God." Romans
viii. 21.

Saint Columba.

Columba
blesses the
community,
standing on the
hill which still
remains.

XCI.
He paused, and took his station on the hill : —
The hill still stands. The courtyard wall is gone :
Here nought of those old structures lingers still.
Nature alone remains — the sea, the stone,
These are as when he saw them, these alone
Surviving for our sight. There see him stand,
Blessing the family ! That blessing shone,
Yea, shines for evermore, through many a land.
Nature itself must fade : that blessing must expand.

XCII.
He predicts the His frame, so powerful once, will scarce avail
lation and re- To ^et mm speak the words of Life Divine :
newalfromtime g t ^ ice djes nQt though the form be frail :
to time. °
The God-sent utt'rance never can decline.
He blest them : — " Humble home, a glorious line
From thee shall spring. So shall my blessing last.
Here kings seek burial ! Wasting wars be thine :
Yet shalt thou rise renew'd ! Thy life recast
Shall own its first, grand claim, the impulse of the past.
48

Saint Columba.
XCIII.
" My blessing here shall bide on all that come,
Echoing th' eternal Breath for ever strong,
As when it first from Erin, my fond home,
Bade me go forth a wand'rer. Still the song
Shall take its tone from many a distant tongue.
Earth's grateful hosts the broad'ning chant shall raise.
Erin's lost sons must be avenged. The throng
Of tribes new-born to Christ through endless days,
Souls won from death, shall sing the great Redeemer's praise !
XCIV.
" I call on heav'n ; and hell will answer make :
But heav'nly life the howling fiends defies.
Though death's dark hosts in boastful surf may break
Like waves upon thy rocks, thou shalt despise
Their vain assaults. Lift up thy wond'ring eyes :
An embryo empire waits, and from thy shore
Saints shall go forth. The day of truth shall rise
On frowning heathendom. 'Tis thine to pour
Heaven's flood of brilliancy where darkness reign'd before.
49 d

Saint Columba.
xcv.
" Vast throngs I see in realms far, far away !
With stubborn pride they challenge Christ's appeal :
And thou, dear home, though plunged in long decay,
Shalt rise anew thine ancient fires to feel,
Leading the last, long war with holy zeal !
But oh ! let none thy blessing dare to claim
Who shirk the law of strife ! Messiah's heel
Must feel the serpent's bruise, strong through Christ's name
By vigil, fast, and prayer, the serpent's pride to tame.
xcvi.
" Erin, I ever look with life-long grief
To those three battles where thy blood was shed :
But now the future shines with sweet relief!
This homeless earth for thirty years I tread :
My task is done. Thy vengeance has been sped :
And still prophetic rapture sees the hosts
Of unborn saints, the visionary dead,
Whose glorious predestination boasts
Its triumph through the doom which drew me from thy coasts."
5°

Saint Columba.
XCVII.
His utt'rance ceased, but still his eye looked on,
As if in distant skies his mind could read
The mysteries of the future, — scenes which shone
With heav'nly lustre, — countless myriads freed
From death's dominion. Forth they march, decreed
As trophies of his toil, and now made known
To cheer his parting soul — the chosen seed —
The harvest of humanity, up-grown
In God's true likeness blest, to grace th' Eternal Throne.
XCVIII.
Once more he seeks his cell. His holy joy ps. xxxiv. ».
Was to transcribe the Psalter. Few the hours
Which yet remain, but in this fond employ
Love's matchless music lifts this world of ours
In sweet communion with angelic powers !
"What verse comes next? Thou never-failing Word
Speak while I write ! Fragrance of deathless flowers
Breathes o'er the parting soul if thou art heard :
' No good thing fails to them who simply seek the Lord.'
51

Saint Columba.

Baithene to
continue the
transcription.

XCIX.
" It is enough." — He sought, and he has found. —
" I write no more : Baithene must write the rest."
Then Compline. Then whilst lying on the ground—
The brethren standing near — "Ye would be blest!
One word serves all : 'Tis Jesu's sweet behest :
Psalmists and prophets by its virtue move,
Christ's own true life in us made manifest !
That word is Love. Live all in holy love —
Love is life's law on earth, the joy of life above."

BeU for matins. They lay them down. The bell for matins rang,

Columbahastesto the altar.
Mysteriouslight filling the
Church.

But while they lit their lamps and rose and came,
With transport of strange power Columba sprang
To grasp the altar-steps. A wondrous flame
Throughout the fabric shed its holy gleam.
Diarmit saw the brightness shine and fade,
But darkness hid the Abbot's fallen frame.
" Father," he cried, " where are you ? " All was said :
The monks are gathered round. Columba was not dead.
52

Saint Columba.

CI.
Diarmit. clasp'd his body, where he lay, Diarmit lifts up
Columba's hand
And raised his hands, for all their strength had ceased, to Mess the
/-. i i , • ¦¦ - . community.
Columba s spirit passing yet away
Moved through the fingers of the dying priest.
The Cross is signed. Columba is released.
He joins the great Hallel of choirs on high,
In all the joy of that great Whitsun -feast,
Where burns the sevenfold flame eternally,
The Home of Holy Love, the unveil'd Trinity.

53

1Rote on tbe Ibouse of IRetreat, 3ona.

In reference to the picture which appears as frontispiece,
the following particulars, regarding the House of Retreat at
Iona, taken from The Scottish Standard Bearer (August 1894),
may prove of interest to readers of Father Benson's picture
of the Life of St. Columba : —
"Those who wish for a quiet place of prayer in Iona may now find
what they seek. The Bishop of Argyll has built, close to the shore, near
the ruins of the Cathedral, a Church House. In this house is provided
suitable accommodation for any priest who may be taking occasional
duty in Iona, or for clergy in retreat, and so forth. The centre of the
building is occupied by a chapel, dedicated under the name of St.
Columba — small, but of dignified proportions ; plainly furnished, indeed,
but supplied with an altar of good proportions and massive design.*
This chapel may be entered directly through the front door of the
house, without passing through any room or any of the passages leading
directly to any of the living rooms. The door of the chapel immediately
faces the front door of the house. The statue of St. Columba, with his
hand raised in blessing, which stands in a niche outside the east wall
of the chapel, should be observed by pilgrims to Iona."

On the thirteen-hundredth anniversary of the death of
St. Columba (June 9, 1897) the house and chapel were given
by the Bishop of Argyll to the Society of St. John the
Evangelist. The house is used as a place of retirement for
clergymen and laymen for devotion and study. There is a
daily Eucharist when any priest of the Society is in residence,
and other services on Sundays for Churchpeople visiting
the island. The altar vessels used in the chapel are those
that were dedicated by the late Bishop Ewing on the occasion
of a pilgrimage to Iona in 1848.
* A capital picture of the interior of the chapel appeared in the S.S.B. for
July 1896.
The Publishers.
Edinburgh, Sept. igoz.

3 9002

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