{
 "id": "maria-lowell/jesus-and-the-dove",
 "title": "Jesus and the Dove",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": "A Catholic Legend",
 "poet": "Maria Lowell",
 "poet_slug": "maria-lowell",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "The Poems of Maria Lowell",
 "book_slug": "poems",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 4,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1907,
  "venue": "The Poems of Maria Lowell (1907)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/poemsofmarialowe00lowerich"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/maria-lowell_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://search.lib.virginia.edu/sources/uva_library/items/uva-lib:439721",
   "https://archive.org/details/poemsofmarialowe00lowerich"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 72,
  "n_stanzas": 18,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 51,
  "max_indent": 2
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "With patient hand Jesus in clay once wrought,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And made a snowy dove that upward flew:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Dear child, from all things draw some holy thought,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That like his dove they may fly upward too.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Mary, the mother good and mild,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Went forth one summer’s day,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "That Jesus and his comrades all",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "In meadows green might play.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "To find the brightest, freshest flowers,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "They search the meadows round,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "They twined them all into a wreath,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And little Jesus crowned.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Tired of play, they came at last",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And sat at Mary’s feet,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "While Jesus asked his mother dear",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "A story to repeat.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“And we,” said one, “from out this clay",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Will make some little birds,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "So shall we all sit quietly",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And heed the mother’s words.”",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Then Mary, in her gentle voice,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Told of a little child,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "Who lost her way one dark, dark night",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Upon a dreary wild;",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And how an angel came to her,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And made all bright around,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "And took the trembling little one",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "From off the damp, hard ground;",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And how he bore her in his arms",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Up to the blue so far,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "And how he laid her fast asleep,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Down in a silver star.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The children sit at Mary’s feet,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "But not a word they say,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "So busily their fingers work",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "To mould the birds of clay.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But now the clay that Jesus held",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And turned unto the light,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "And moulded with a patient touch,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Changed to a perfect white.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And slowly grew within his hands",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "A fair and gentle dove,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "Whose eyes unclose, whose wings unfold,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Beneath his look of love.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The children drop their birds of clay,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And by his side they stand",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "To look upon the wondrous dove,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "He holds within his hand.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And when he bends and softly breathes,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Wide are the wings outspread,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "And when he bends and breathes again,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "It hovers round his head.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Slowly it rises in the air",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Before their eager eyes,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "And with a white and steady wing,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Higher and higher flies.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The children all stretch forth their arms,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "As if to draw it down,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "“Dear Jesus made the little dove",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "From out the clay so brown.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“Canst thou not live with us below,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Thou little dove of clay,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "And let us hold thee in our hands,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And feed thee every day?",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“The little dove it hears us not,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "But higher still doth fly;",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "It could not live with us below,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Its home is in the sky.”",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Mary, who silently saw all,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "That mother true and mild,",
    "indent": 2
   },
   {
    "text": "Folded her hands upon her breast,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And kneeled before her child.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ]
 ]
}