LenTree For George Herbert

Day 14: Tuesday

Prayer (I)

Prayer the Church's banquet, Angels' age,

     God's breath in man returning to his birth,

     The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,

The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth;

Engine against th' Almighty, sinners' tower,

     Reverséd thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,

     The six-days world transposing in an hour,

A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;

Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,

     Exalted Manna, gladness of the best,

     Heaven in ordinary, man well dressed,

The Milky way, the bird of Paradise,

     Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood,

     The land of spices; something understood.

1633 Edition


Love II

Immortal Heat, O let your greater flame

     Attract the lesser to it: Let those fires,

     Which shall consume the world, first make it tame;

And kindle in our hearts such true desires,

As may consume our lusts, and make you way.

     Then shall our hearts pant thee; then shall our brain

     All her invention on your Altar lay,

And there in hymns send back your fire again:

Our eyes shall see you, which before saw dust;

     Dust blown by wit, till that they both were blind:

     You shall recover all your goods in kind,

Who were diseaséd by usurping lust:

     All knees shall bow to you; all wits shall rise,

     And praise him who did make and mend our eyes.

1633 Edition


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