To Mrs. Henry Coggshall
"The Church Porch" (4 June 1855)
A Madrigal
After the Style of the 
Sixteenth Century
Words by
William M. Thackeray
Mucic by
Frederick Nicholls Crouch, 1808-1896

Philadelphia: Stayman & Brothers, 210 Chestnut Street
New York: William Hall & Son
Boston: Oliver Ditson
[Source: 1855-590090@LoC]

1. Although I enter not, 
Yet round about the spot, 
Sometimes I hover, 
Sometimes I hover, 
And at the sacred gate, 
With longing eyes I wait 
Expectant of her, 
Expectant of her! 
Expectant of her! 
The minster bell tolls out, 
Above the city’s rout, 
And noise and humming, 
And noise and humming, 
They’ve stopp’d the chiming there, 
To suly your pure Pray’r, 
With coming, she’s coming, she’s coming, 
Ah! my lady’s coming! 
Ah! my lady’s coming, 
She’s coming, she’s coming, she’s coming, 
She’s coming, 
My lady’s coming, 

2. My lady comes at last, 
Timid, and stepping fast, 
And hast’ning thither, hast’ning thither, 
With modest eyes downcast, 
She comes, she’s here, she’s past, 
May Heav’n go with her, 
May Heav’n go with her, 
May Heav’n go with her, 
Kneel undisturb’d fair saint, 
Pour our your praise or plaint, 
Meekly and duly, 
Meekly and duly, 
I will not enter there, 
To sully your pure Pray’r, 
With thoughts unruly, 
With thoughts unruly, 
With thoughts unruly, 
With thoughts, with thoughts, unruly, 
With thoughts, 
With thoughts, unruly.

3. But suffer me to pace, 
Round the forbidden place, 
Ling’ring a minute, 
Ling’ring a minute, 
Like outcast spirits who wait, 
And see through Heav’s gate, 
Angels within it, 
Angels within it, 
Anels within it, 
Angels within it, 
Angels within it.