If Thou Sayest, Behold, we Knew it Not
A speaker struggles with an unknown wrong against a brother and with duties left undone, finding no defence in ignorance. The prayer asks Christ to bear shared guilt and undo their self-destruction, then pleads for mercy at the final judgment, where the speaker expects to face souls they might have helped.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Christian Devotional Poetry, Sonnet · 3 chapters · 561 words
First lines
-- Proverbs xxiv. 11, 12.
I have done I know not what, -- what have I done? / My brother's blood, my brother's soul, doth cry: / And I find no defence, find no reply, / No courage more to run this race I run / Not knowing what I have done, have left undone; / Ah me, these awful unknown hours that fly / Fruitless it may be, fleeting fruitless by / Rank with death-savor underneath the sun. / For what avails it that I did not know / The deed I did? what profits me the plea / That had I known I had not wronged him so? / Lord Jesus Christ, my God, him pity Thou; / Lord, if it may be, pity also me: / In judgment pity, and in death, and now.
What this Textopian page supports
If Thou Sayest, Behold, we Knew it Not is listed on Textopian as a poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Christian Devotional Poetry, Sonnet
- Length: 561 words
- Structure: 3 chapters, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for If Thou Sayest, Behold, we Knew it Not by Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Genres
- Christian Devotional Poetry — The speaker addresses Jesus Christ directly, asking him to bear guilt, reverse self-destruction, and show mercy through his Passion.
- Sonnet — Three fourteen-line units develop the speaker's uncertainty about wrongdoing, a collective prayer for rescue, and an appeal for mercy at judgment.
Tags
guilt · sins of omission · ignorance · mercy · prayer · final judgment · sonnets
Contents
- I have Done I Know not what, -- what have I Done?
- Thou who Hast Borne all Burdens, Bear our Load
- Each Soul I Might have Succored, May have Slain