 | The Poetical Works of Robert Montgomery |  |
AWFULNESS OF SPEECH.
“By thy words shalt thou be justified.”—Matt. xii. 37.
We ought to dread what Speech can do,
And mortal words have done,
As vain or vile, or false or true,
Since Language first begun:
And mortal words have done,
As vain or vile, or false or true,
Since Language first begun:
For speech the soul can so empower,
For fiends', or angels' work,
That Death, or Life, each dawning hour,
Within some tone may lurk.
For fiends', or angels' work,
That Death, or Life, each dawning hour,
Within some tone may lurk.
A speechless thought innocuous seems
To all except the Mind,
Through whose vague depths it acts, or dreams
For self, or for mankind;
To all except the Mind,
Through whose vague depths it acts, or dreams
For self, or for mankind;
But when abroad, by speech, or press,
Our Thoughts their course begin,
Conception cannot dare to guess
What conquest they may win.
Our Thoughts their course begin,
Conception cannot dare to guess
What conquest they may win.
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Through regions, empires, heart and home,
A trackless Thing it hies,
And through eternity will roam,—
For Influence never dies.
A trackless Thing it hies,
And through eternity will roam,—
For Influence never dies.
To counsel, flatter, charm, or cheer,
How potent human speech!
To summon smiles, or mould a tear,
To pray, rebuke, or preach,—
How potent human speech!
To summon smiles, or mould a tear,
To pray, rebuke, or preach,—
Thus life and death within the spell
Of living words reside,
And blest are they, who wield them well,
Rememb'ring Him who “sighed!”
Of living words reside,
And blest are they, who wield them well,
Rememb'ring Him who “sighed!”
And why? Because the Saviour knew
That since our primal Fall
No tongues are to their glory true,
Except on God they call.
That since our primal Fall
No tongues are to their glory true,
Except on God they call.
Eye, Ear, and Speech, each organ may
A ban or blessing prove,
According as we learn to lay
Their service out in love.
A ban or blessing prove,
According as we learn to lay
Their service out in love.
Thus did Emmanuel sigh to know,
That when Compassion gave
To dumbness power the mind to show,
From sin it would not save,
That when Compassion gave
To dumbness power the mind to show,
From sin it would not save,
But might hereafter frequent tempt
His tongue to many a crime,
That, but for speech, had proved exempt
In silence half sublime.
His tongue to many a crime,
That, but for speech, had proved exempt
In silence half sublime.
He mark'd the victim, mute and sad
Who thus before Him stood,
And cried “Be open,” not “Be glad,”
Though speech itself were good.
Who thus before Him stood,
And cried “Be open,” not “Be glad,”
Though speech itself were good.
And so with us: 'twere better far
As dumb and deaf to be,
Unless in spoken life we are
From worded vileness free.
As dumb and deaf to be,
Unless in spoken life we are
From worded vileness free.
And never may we speak, or write
A word which others know,
Unless 'twill bear His searching light,
From whom all speech doth flow.
A word which others know,
Unless 'twill bear His searching light,
From whom all speech doth flow.
Let that deep sigh the God-man drew,
Around us swell and heave,
And when we utter words untrue
That sigh will make us grieve.
Around us swell and heave,
And when we utter words untrue
That sigh will make us grieve.
| The Poetical Works of Robert Montgomery | |