登陆注册
15441400000031

第31章 ** MUSAE GRAVIORES **(1)

*230*

A THANKSGIVING TO GOD, FOR HIS HOUSE

Lord, thou hast given me a cell, Wherein to dwell;

A little house, whose humble roof Is weather proof;

Under the spars of which I lie Both soft and dry;

Where thou, my chamber for to ward, Hast set a guard Of harmless thoughts, to watch and keep Me, while I sleep.

Low is my porch, as is my fate;

Both void of state;

And yet the threshold of my door Is worn by th' poor, Who thither come, and freely get Good words, or meat.

Like as my parlour, so my hall And kitchen's small;

A little buttery, and therein A little bin, Which keeps my little loaf of bread Unchipt, unflead;

Some brittle sticks of thorn or briar Make me a fire, Close by whose living coal I sit, And glow like it.

Lord, I confess too, when I dine, The pulse is thine, And all those other bits that be There placed by thee;

The worts, the purslain, and the mess Of water-cress, Which of thy kindness thou hast sent;

And my content Makes those, and my beloved beet, To be more sweet.

'Tis thou that crown'st my glittering hearth With guiltless mirth, And giv'st me wassail bowls to drink, Spiced to the brink.

Lord, 'tis thy plenty-dropping hand That soils my land, And giv'st me, for my bushel sown, Twice ten for one;

Thou mak'st my teeming hen to lay Her egg each day;

Besides, my healthful ewes to bear Me twins each year;

The while the conduits of my kine Run cream, for wine:

All these, and better, thou dost send Me, to this end,--

That I should render, for my part, A thankful heart;

Which, fired with incense, I resign, As wholly thine;

--But the acceptance, that must be, My Christ, by Thee.

*231*

MATINS, OR MORNING PRAYER

When with the virgin morning thou dost rise, Crossing thyself come thus to sacrifice;

First wash thy heart in innocence; then bring Pure hands, pure habits, pure, pure every thing.

Next to the altar humbly kneel, and thence Give up thy soul in clouds of frankincense.

Thy golden censers fill'd with odours sweet Shall make thy actions with their ends to meet.

*232*

GOOD PRECEPTS, OR COUNSEL

In all thy need, be thou possest Still with a well prepared breast;

Nor let the shackles make thee sad;

Thou canst but have what others had.

And this for comfort thou must know, Times that are ill won't still be so:

Clouds will not ever pour down rain;

A sullen day will clear again.

First, peals of thunder we must hear;

When lutes and harps shall stroke the ear.

*233*

PRAY AND PROSPER

First offer incense; then, thy field and meads Shall smile and smell the better by thy beads.

The spangling dew dredged o'er the grass shall be Turn'd all to mell and manna there for thee.

Butter of amber, cream, and wine, and oil, Shall run as rivers all throughout thy soil.

Would'st thou to sincere silver turn thy mould?

--Pray once, twice pray; and turn thy ground to gold.

*234*

THE BELL-MAN

Along the dark and silent night, With my lantern and my light And the tinkling of my bell, Thus I walk, and this I tell:

--Death and dreadfulness call on To the general session;

To whose dismal bar, we there All accounts must come to clear:

Scores of sins we've made here many;

Wiped out few, God knows, if any.

Rise, ye debtors, then, and fall To make payment, while I call:

Ponder this, when I am gone:

--By the clock 'tis almost One.

*235*

UPON TIME

Time was upon The wing, to fly away;

And I call'd on Him but awhile to stay;

But he'd be gone, For aught that I could say.

He held out then A writing, as he went, And ask'd me, when False man would be content To pay again What God and Nature lent.

An hour-glass, In which were sands but few, As he did pass, He shew'd,--and told me too Mine end near was;--

And so away he flew.

*236*

MEN MIND NO STATE IN SICKNESS

That flow of gallants which approach To kiss thy hand from out the coach;

That fleet of lackeys which do run Before thy swift postilion;

Those strong-hoof'd mules, which we behold Rein'd in with purple, pearl, and gold, And shed with silver, prove to be The drawers of the axle-tree;

Thy wife, thy children, and the state Of Persian looms and antique plate:

--All these, and more, shall then afford No joy to thee, their sickly lord.

*237*

LIFE IS THE BODY'S LIGHT

Life is the body's light; which, once declining, Those crimson clouds i' th' cheeks and lips leave shining:-

Those counter-changed tabbies in the air, The sun once set, all of one colour are:

So, when death comes, fresh tinctures lose their place, And dismal darkness then doth smutch the face.

*238*

TO THE LADY CREWE, UPON THE DEATH OF HER CHILD

Why, Madam, will ye longer weep, Whenas your baby's lull'd asleep?

And, pretty child, feels now no more Those pains it lately felt before.

All now is silent; groans are fled;

Your child lies still, yet is not dead, But rather like a flower hid here, To spring again another year.

*239*

UPON A CHILD THAT DIED

Here she lies, a pretty bud, Lately made of flesh and blood;

Who as soon fell fast asleep, As her little eyes did peep.

--Give her strewings, but not stir The earth, that lightly covers her.

*240*

UPON A CHILD

Here a pretty baby lies Sung asleep with lullabies;

Pray be silent, and not stir Th' easy earth that covers her.

*241*

AN EPITAPH UPON A CHILD

Virgins promised when I died, That they would each primrose-tide Duly, morn and evening, come, And with flowers dress my tomb.

--Having promised, pay your debts Maids, and here strew violets.

*242*

AN EPITAPH UPON A VIRGIN

Here a solemn fast we keep, While all beauty lies asleep;

Hush'd be all things, no noise here But the toning of a tear;

Or a sigh of such as bring Cowslips for her covering.

*243*

UPON A MAID

Here she lies, in bed of spice, Fair as Eve in paradise;

For her beauty, it was such, Poets could not praise too much.

Virgins come, and in a ring Her supremest REQUIEM sing;

Then depart, but see ye tread Lightly, lightly o'er the dead.

*244*

THE DIRGE OF JEPHTHAH'S DAUGHTER:

SUNG BY THE VIRGINS

O thou, the wonder of all days!

O paragon, and pearl of praise!

O Virgin-martyr, ever blest Above the rest Of all the maiden-train! We come, And bring fresh strewings to thy tomb.

Thus, thus, and thus, we compass round Thy harmless and unhaunted ground;

同类推荐
  • THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY

    THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 寄李輈侍郎

    寄李輈侍郎

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 惠远外传

    惠远外传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • camellia girl

    camellia girl

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • BLIX

    BLIX

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 至尊武器

    至尊武器

    我为武器,你为器灵,虽然知道会离开,可我仍旧爱你如初。
  • 来自冥界的微笑天使

    来自冥界的微笑天使

    一个阳光大男生耿阳死后进到冥界,因其阳光爱笑的模样,被冥王钦定为微笑大使,上任后,为了治愈一个又一个愁眉苦脸的人们,破了很多的鬼们心里的悬案,使其重获笑容……
  • 黑白晚上行

    黑白晚上行

    世界上不是没有一见倾心,只是你还没遇到那个能叫你一见倾心的人。这是一个关于青春的高中爱情故事。你曾经喜欢过一个人吗?很喜欢的那种喜欢,就是每当他走到你身边的时候,不管他是否和你说话,你的心跳还是会漏掉一拍。他不是校草,也不是班草。他,叫尚皖皓。这个女生叫白叶形。他和她是两个不同的人,一场考试,一份录取通知,一张文理志愿表走到一起。尚皖皓和白叶形有高中你们和我们的影子,那是我们的青春印记,许久之后我们谈到时眼睛还会微微酸涩的爱情。我们不管他们最后有没有在一起,高中的爱情褪去了初中的稚气,没有大学毕业后的离别,那是我们最珍惜的感情,那是我们曾经花费过最多的时间去维护的爱。
  • 死神攻略

    死神攻略

    “血,流成了黑暗的小溪。两旁开着炫丽的彼岸花,为这位使者开路。”如果那晚我没有打开那扇门,我就不会变成“死神”,冷酷的死神,感觉不到任何充满爱的生命。——————宅得很猥琐的我,突然有一天穿过一扇闪着耀眼的光门后,化成为一枚冷酷无情的死神。苦逼的我被硬推上架,试问温柔敦厚心软如糖的我,还能重新返回我……原来那个无聊但很安静的世界吗?
  • 黄梁一孟

    黄梁一孟

    十六岁那年,他离开家乡,在母亲陪伴下前往韩国学习。当他离开国土的那一刻起,他的命运便落入了黑暗。接连不断的坏事占据他的生活,他开始放弃自己,直到像阳光般出现的,她的第一条短信...十五岁的她,懵懂年少,一次意外她遇见了那个让她一见钟情的“他”。也是那个心动的瞬间,使她发去了第一条短信,却不知阴差阳错间她却改了他的命运...她用了三年终于赢得了他的心,他却想用七年去忘掉她。十年了,他终于回国了,这个错误也是时候改正了。“错误的遇见,需要正确的结束,我要名正言顺的出现在你的世界里。”
  • 破晓阴阳镇

    破晓阴阳镇

    罗小武跟随师父四处游行,一路西去修行,路过阴阳镇,当四姑一言一颦一笑出现在罗小武面前时一切都开始改变。师父贪图金钱为阴阳镇酒楼掌柜四姑算卦不准,导致四姑扣留罗小武在阴阳镇酒楼打杂以还带款潜逃师傅欠下的债。却不想接二连三的离奇事件发生在自己身上,恍然间他想起爷爷曾经说过:算命之人,替人算命却终究算不到自己......似乎这个世界的模样都是虚伪,原来这一切从开始就是一场阴谋……
  • 英雄联盟短篇之最强对手

    英雄联盟短篇之最强对手

    此文非常非常非常短,但是足以让你有看3D动画的感觉,就像当年的啦啦啦德玛西亚一样,讲述的是玛尔扎哈和卡萨丁的故事,我是艾欧尼亚坑萌坑萌的妹纸一枚,最爱玩的就是玛尔扎哈哦,希望大家能喜欢这篇短文!
  • 小生纵横天下

    小生纵横天下

    这部小说真是非常好看!不看不知道,看了还想看。一个不起眼的读书人,无意中卷人了一场武林漩涡之中,面对艰难的处境和奸诈的敌人,他侠骨柔情,嬉笑怒骂,快意恩仇,不但抱得美人归,还买一送一,多了个大胖小子。
  • 复仇旋律:重生姑娘坠爱河

    复仇旋律:重生姑娘坠爱河

    因为失恋,自己不管不顾的送上性命,却不料重生,在那里,她又找到了他的爱人,狗男狗女到底是谁?谁会知道呢?只有她自己能够告诉她,事件正在揭晓。
  • 我在柯南世界

    我在柯南世界

    一个好吃懒惰的普通青年,一觉醒来发现自己穿到了柯南世界,好死不活的还是组织新培养的杀手,在发现哀殿后一起逃离的故事