II
They knelt in silent anguish by her bed,And could not weep; but calmly there she lay.All pain had left her; and the sun’s last rayShone through upon her, warming into redThe shady curtains. In her heart she said:‘Heaven opens; I leave these and go away; 20The Bridegroom calls,—shall the Bride seek to stay?’Then low upon her breast she bowed her head.O lily flower, O gem of priceless worth,O dove with patient voice and patient eyes,O fruitful vine amid a land of dearth,O maid replete with loving purities,Thou bowedst down thy head with friends on earthTo raise it with the saints in Paradise.