"Meeting With Elizabeth"
by C. M. Mason
St. Luke 1: 39 -46
"Magnificat"
St. Luke 1: 46 -56

illus. "The Visitation" by 'Master of the Life of the Virgin'

VII

MUCH troubled was the Maid-full of high hope
And diffident fear: nor might she tell her mind
To kin or neighbour, least of all, to him,
Her betrothed husband: so, with bold resolve,
She would go forth to seek among the hills
Of southward Judah for Elizabeth:
The friendly seraph, sure, had meant that she
Might ease her bosom in her kinswoman's arms!

Little she recked of distance, lonely ways,
Of days of travel, footsore and distressed,
And nights of little ease: Mary made slow way
To the hill-city, Hebron, where she dwelt
To reach whom all this travail.  Entering the house
Of Zacharias, with sisterly salute, Elizabeth she greeted.
At her word,
Tumult of welcome whelme'd the poor Maid,
Lonely and travel-worn: when Elizabeth heard
Her cousin's salutation, in her womb
Up-leaped the babe : and, full of the Holy Ghost,
22

23

With a loud cry she lifted up her voice
"Thou blessed amongst women, whence is this,
That the Mother of my Lord should come to me?
No sooner had the babe I bear thy voice
Heard, me saluting, than he leaped for joy!"
Then, fill'd with the Spirit of God, she blessed the Maid
"To her who could believe, shall be fulfilled 
The whole of God's high counsels."  And Mary said : -

"My soul rejoiceth in the Lord, 
My spirit triumphs in His word 
He looked upon my low estate, 
And, looking, made His handmaid great 
To God, my Saviour, be the praise, 
Who lowliest men doth highest raise!

"Henceforth the generations shall
Name me for Blessed, one and all
He that is mighty hath to me
Done great things, low though my degree
His mercy is for ever sure
While tribes and nations shall endure

"Holy His name, and full of grace
To them that fear, and seek His face
His arm with ready strength is found
To cast the high ones to the ground,
Scatter the proud, the meek upraise,
And nourish all their sheltered days

24 

The rich go empty, and the poor,
Filled with good things, shall leave His door;
Princes from thrones He putteth down,
To raise those meek who be His own:
To His servant Israel brought He aid,
The promise He of old hath made : -

"That mercy should remembered be,
That Abraham his race should see
Countless as sand on the seashore,
Blessed by their God for evermore!
The promise that hath been of old
To Abraham and his sons foretold,
To kings and prophets dimly shown-
His secret-now, He maketh known:
The promised SEED is come, and I,
Poor Maid, by God, am set on high !"