[Skip Navigation]

Poetry Archives

A continuing selection of classic and contemporary poems.

The Building

Frances E. W. Harper

“Build me a house,” said the Master,
   “But not on the shifting sand,
Mid the wreck and roar of tempests,
   A house that will firmly stand.

“I will bring thee windows of agates,
   And gates of carbuncles bright,
And thy fairest courts and portals
   Shall be filled with love and light.

“Thou shalt build with fadeless rubies,
   All fashioned around the throne,
A house that shall last forever,
   With Christ as the cornerstone.

“It shall be a royal mansion,
   A fair and beautiful thing,
It will be the presence-chamber
   Of thy Saviour, Lord and King.

“Thy house shall he bound with pinions
   To mansions of rest above,
But grace shall forge all the fetters
   With the links and cords of love.

“Thou shalt he free in this mansion
   From sorrow and pain of heart,
For the peace of God shall enter,
   And never again depart.”
Online text © 1998-2008 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From Poems | The Black Heritage Library Collection, 1895
Add Keyword Tags

Separate each tag with a space. You may add as many tags as you'd like to each poem.

What are tags?
Tags, sometimes called “folksonomies,” are words that describe or categorize a poem, like “20th century modernism” or “Italian sonnet”. Tags can help you find poems that have something in common, based on how other people classify them.

More Info

This site will work and look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any Internet device.