A Collection of Miscellanies Consisting of Poems, Essays, Discourses & Letters, Occasionally Written. By John Norris ... The Second Edition Corrected |
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Hymn to Darkness.
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 | A Collection of Miscellanies |  |
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Hymn to Darkness.
I
Hail thou most sacred Venerable thing!What Muse is worthy thee to sing?
Thee, from whose pregnant universal womb
All things, even Light thy Rival first did come.
What dares he not attempt that sings of thee
Thou First and greatest Mystery?
Who can the Secrets of thy essence tell?
Thou like the light of God art inaccessible.
II
Before Great Love this Monument did raise,This ample Theatre of Praise.
Before the folding Circles of the Skie
Were tun'd by him who is all Harmony.
Before the Morning Stars their Hymn began
Before the Councel held for Man.
Before the birth of either Time or Place,
Thou reign'st unquestion'd Monarch in the empty Space.
III
Thy native lot thou didst to light resign,But still half of the Globe is thine.
Here with a quiet, but yet awefull hand,
Like the best Emperours thou dost command.
To thee the Stars above their brightness owe
And mortals their repose below.
To thy protection Fear and Sorrow flee,
And those that weary are of light, find rest in thee.
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IV
Tho Light and Glory be th' Almighty's Throne,Darkness is his Pavilion.
From that his radiant Beauty, but from thee
He has his Terror and his Majesty.
Thus when he first proclaim'd his sacred Law
And would his Rebel subjects awe,
Like Princes on some great solemnity
H' appear'd in's Robes of State, and Clad himself with thee.
V
The Blest above do thy sweet umbrage prize,When Cloy'd with light, they veil their eyes.
The Vision of the Deity is made
More sweet and Beatific by thy Shade.
But we poor Tenants of this Orb below
Don't here thy excellencies know,
Till Death our understandings does improve,
And then our Wiser ghosts thy silent night-walks love.
VI
But thee I now admire, thee would I chuseFor my Religion, or my Muse.
'Tis hard to tell whether thy reverend shade
Has more good Votaries or Poets made.
From thy dark Caves were Inspirations given
And from thick groves went vows to Heaven,
Hail then thou Muse's and Devotion's Spring,
Tis just we should adore, 'tis just we should thee sing.
| A Collection of Miscellanies | |