| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 1565. A Priest’s Prayer |
| | | By Martha Gilbert Dickinson |
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| OVER the dim confessional cried | |
| Father Amatus,—cloistered young,— | |
| Dropping his rosary by his side, | |
| Careless where his crucifix swung: | |
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| “I have been priest since—an endless when! | 5 |
| Sat by the living, consoled the dead, | |
| Fasted and prayed for women and men, | |
| Fed the poor with my daily bread. | |
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| “The wind blows cold,—how the snow-flakes creep! | |
| I will sin one sin, ere past recall, | 10 |
| Lest life should faint in this pallid sleep: | |
| Kiss me, Jessica! Once for all.” | |
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