English poem
THE ONE OBLATION
by Robert Winkworth Norwood (1874–1932)
God does not need your virtue Proclaimed in any place, Who knows a better beauty Than such a pious face! The stars keep His commandments, The suns observe His law And all the countless comets Bow down to Him in awe.
God does not want your temples, Whose domes are in the sky; With archangelic anthems How dare we mortals vie? One thing alone, my brothers, Rivals that bliss above: Not incense on an altar, But man's oblation—Love!