XXIII. 
Ah ! under his protection, in his love, 
With my abasements emulating his, 
We surely should attain to That which Is, 
And lose ourselves, together, far above 
The highest heaven, in one sweet lover’s kiss, 
So sweet, so strong 
That with it all my soul should unto him belong. 
 
XXIV. 
An ecstasy to which no life responds, 
Is the enormous secret I have learned : 
When self-denial’s furnace-flame has burned 
Through love, and all the agonizing bonds 
That hold the soul within its shell are turned 
To water weak ; 
Then may desires obtain the cypress crown they seek. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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