Rooted and Grounded

As one who came with ointments sweet,

Abettors to her fleshly guilt,

And brake and poured them at Thy Feet,

And worshipped Thee with spikenard spilt:

So from a body full of blame,

And tongue too deeply versed in shame,

Do I pour speech upon Thy Name.

O Thou, if tongue may yet beseech,

Near to Thine awful Feet let reach

This broken spikenard of my speech!

Laurence Housman (1865-1959)