Life, were thy pains as are the pains of hell

Life, were thy pains as are the pains of hell, So hardly to be borne, yet to be borne, And all thy boughs more grim with wasp and thorn Than armoured bough stood ever; too chill to spell With the warm tongue, and sharp with broken shell Thy ways, whereby in wincing haste forlorn The desperate foot must travel, blind and torn, Yet must I cry: So be it; it is well. So fair to me thy vineyards, nor less fair Than the sweet heaven my fathers hoped to gain; So bright this earthly blossom spiked with care, This harvest hung behind the boughs of pain, Needs must I gather, guessing by the stain I bleed, but know not wherefore, know not where.