Things Held Me Far From You....

'Too late have I loved You,
O beauty so ancient
and so new!  Too late
have I loved You.
And behold,
You were within me
and I was away
outside, and there
I searched for you, deformed,
plunging,
absorbed in
those beautiful things
You had made.
You were with me,
but I was not with You.  Things held me
far from You,
things which would
not have existed at all
except for You.
You called,
You shouted,
and burst in
on my deafness.
You shone
and gleamed brightly
at me and
dispersed my blindness.  You breathed
forth fragrances,
and I drew in my breath, and still I pant for You.  I tasted much, and I hunger and thirst for more.  You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.'

St. Augustine

Painting:  Albert Anker