Lord God Omnipotent, whose blest decree
It was to raise from earth a progeny
Angels excelling, all things wait on Thee:
All worketh out Thy purpose; gracefully
Are all things wrought, from end to end, in Thee,
In vain will Might created, furiously,
O Holy God, mad warfare wage with Thee:
Whom Thy All-might supporteth, surely he
Can laugh to scorn the wily Enemy
And meekly hold his own, undauntedly.
The Serpent's doom is uttered; verily,
A doom condign with his temerity:
Through Woman's weakness, he who thought to be
Avenged on God through all futurity
Himself by Woman's Foot shall vanquished be.
Vainly he writhes; he knows the infamy
In store for one who dares the Lord defy.
A fate inglorious is his destiny.
Not Heaven's great power, not Angel-might will be
The ruin of his deep-planned villany,
But in some subtle way he may not see;
The Seed of Woman who will Woman be
Shall, by her Grace and firm Fidelity,
Him hurl down headlong, and a progeny
In holiness secure: more knows not he.
But times and seasons knowing not, yet he
Will watch his hour of triumph. He will be
Present at that dread Birth. Thus, wilily,
With all his hosts, the Infernal Dragon see
At war with Woman, unrelentingly.
In vain: the Evangelist in ecstasy
Was given the Revelation in which he
Beheld the unfolding of this Mystery:
The Dragon watching for his prey, and she,
The Sun-clothed Woman, crowned with victory.
- text taken from Mary: The Perfect Woman, by Emily Mary Shapcote