Cold my heart, and poor, and low,
Like thy stable in the rock;
Do not let it orphan go,
It is of thy parent stock!
Come thou in, and it will grow
High and wide, a fane divine;
Like the ruby it will glow,
Like the diamond shine!
Christmas Prayer
Summary
"Christmas Prayer" is a devotional poem in which a speaker lays bare a heart described as cold, poor, and low — humble as a stable carved in rock. The poem's quiet urgency rests on a single plea: that a divine presence would enter and transform this emptiness into something radiant, glowing like a ruby and shining like a diamond. The contrast between the speaker's felt poverty and the brilliant potential of grace gives the poem a striking, jewelled intensity.
