Asleep! O sleep a little while, white pearl!
And let me kneel, and let me pray to thee,
And let me call Heaven's blessing on thine eyes,
And let me breathe into the happy air,
That doth enfold and touch thee all about,
“let me kneel” and “let me pray to thee”. Kneeling demonstrates humility, so he was humble, whereas praying is a sign of religious practice.