When Night Is Longest

Will you come when night is longest,
from the deepest darkness come,
with our longing at its strongest,
and our weary senses numb?
When the days are at their coldest
and our hearts are colder still,
when our flame is at its lowest,
will you come, our lamps to fill?

There were days when oil of gladness
ran like rivers to the sea.
Now our eyes are filled with shadows
and our light too dim to see.
Keep us watchful by your starlight,
if our lamps run out of oil,
so to meet you in the dark night,
like a seed deep in the soil.

Yes, within the night you blossom,
ember blooming into flame,
dark unfolding into promise
all invisible by day.
Give our blunted senses sharpness,
when our lamps can give no light,
still to seek you in the darkness
and to greet you in the night.

By NovelNik – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79687392