THE EXCHANGE
"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." -- Phil. iii.8.
Mechthild of Hellfde, 1277.
tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899
If the world were mine and all its store,
And were it of crystal gold;
Could I reign on its throne for evermore
From the ancient days of old,
An empress noble and fair as day,
O gladly might it be,
That I might cast it all away;
Christ, only Christ for me.
For Christ my Lord my spirit longs,
For Christ, my Saviour dear;
The joy and sweetness of my songs
The whilst I wander here --
O Lord, my spirit fain would flee
From the lonely desert away to Thee.