A paraphrase on the Book of Job As likewise on the Songs of Moses, Deborah, David: On Four Select Psalms: Some Chapters of Isaiah, and the Third Chapter of Habakkuk. By Sir Richard Blackmore |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
| XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
| XXV. |
| XXVI. |
| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XXXIX. |
| XL. |
| XLI. |
| XLII. |
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A PARAPHRASE On part of the xivth Cha. of Isaiah. |
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| LIII. |
 | A paraphrase on the Book of Job |  |
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A PARAPHRASE On part of the xivth Cha. of Isaiah.
The Nations round amaz'd and overjoy'd,
Shall crowd to see proud Babylon destroy'd.
They'll spred their Hands to Heav'n, and say,
O blest, O long expected Day!
How from his Throne is the great Tyrant cast,
The Ravager that all our Towns defac't,
Ruin'd Mankind, and laid all Nature wast!
How is th' Imperial, Purple Plague that reign'd,
And rag'd so long at last restrain'd?
Where are the Guards who us'd to wait
Before th' Oppressor's Palace Gate?
Where are the awful Ensigns of his State?
Where is the fawning flatt'ring Throng,
That to his Court did once belong?
Who did the Monster as a God adore,
And bless the rav'ning Jaws that did Mankind devour.
Shall crowd to see proud Babylon destroy'd.
They'll spred their Hands to Heav'n, and say,
O blest, O long expected Day!
How from his Throne is the great Tyrant cast,
The Ravager that all our Towns defac't,
Ruin'd Mankind, and laid all Nature wast!
How is th' Imperial, Purple Plague that reign'd,
And rag'd so long at last restrain'd?
Where are the Guards who us'd to wait
Before th' Oppressor's Palace Gate?
Where are the awful Ensigns of his State?
Where is the fawning flatt'ring Throng,
That to his Court did once belong?
Who did the Monster as a God adore,
And bless the rav'ning Jaws that did Mankind devour.
The haughty City which the World controul'd,
Magnificent with Cedar, and with Gold,
Which tow'ring stood amidst the Skys,
See where her Head in heaps of Rubbish lys.
Is this the City will Spectators say,
That all the World her Empire did survey?
That made the Nations tremble with her Frowns,
And gave to Kings their Tributary Crowns?
How great a Change! good Heav'ns, how soon
Is all her Pride and Glory gone!
God by a great illustrious Stroke
Of Justice, has her Monarch's Scepter broke,
And freed the groaning Nations from his Yoke.
He has destroy'd the Tow'rs of Babylon,
And rent the Pillars that upheld her Throne.
He has her cruel Pow'r withstood,
And on her Head aveng'd the Nation's Blood.
She that the Faces of the Poor did grind,
That ne'er to Mercy was inclin'd,
Shall no Compassion from the Conq'rour find.
The People by her Yoke opprest,
By Heav'n deliver'd from their Bondage rest.
Kingdoms enslav'd their Liberty regain,
And Captives from their Feet shake off the servile Chain.
Loud Triumphs, universal Joy,
And Songs of Praise shall all the Earth employ.
Magnificent with Cedar, and with Gold,
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See where her Head in heaps of Rubbish lys.
Is this the City will Spectators say,
That all the World her Empire did survey?
That made the Nations tremble with her Frowns,
And gave to Kings their Tributary Crowns?
How great a Change! good Heav'ns, how soon
Is all her Pride and Glory gone!
God by a great illustrious Stroke
Of Justice, has her Monarch's Scepter broke,
And freed the groaning Nations from his Yoke.
He has destroy'd the Tow'rs of Babylon,
And rent the Pillars that upheld her Throne.
He has her cruel Pow'r withstood,
And on her Head aveng'd the Nation's Blood.
She that the Faces of the Poor did grind,
That ne'er to Mercy was inclin'd,
Shall no Compassion from the Conq'rour find.
The People by her Yoke opprest,
By Heav'n deliver'd from their Bondage rest.
Kingdoms enslav'd their Liberty regain,
And Captives from their Feet shake off the servile Chain.
Loud Triumphs, universal Joy,
And Songs of Praise shall all the Earth employ.
The Pines and Fir-trees on the Hills rejoyce,
And with a grateful Voice
The Cedars that in stately Order grow
On Lebanon's high Airy Brow,
Cry, we of this Deliv'rance too partake,
Let us as well as Men our thankful Off'ring make.
We Liberty, as well as they, enjoy;
No more shall Babylon employ,
Her Ravagers our quiet to annoy.
Our Spoils shall yield no more supply
To the proud City's Luxury.
No more the Feller shall our Forest wound,
No more the Axe shall thro' the Hills resound,
Nor shall our mangl'd Limbs o'erspred th'encumber'd ground
And with a grateful Voice
The Cedars that in stately Order grow
On Lebanon's high Airy Brow,
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Let us as well as Men our thankful Off'ring make.
We Liberty, as well as they, enjoy;
No more shall Babylon employ,
Her Ravagers our quiet to annoy.
Our Spoils shall yield no more supply
To the proud City's Luxury.
No more the Feller shall our Forest wound,
No more the Axe shall thro' the Hills resound,
Nor shall our mangl'd Limbs o'erspred th'encumber'd ground
The Grave shall for th' Assyrian Monarch's sake
Disturb the Peaceful Dead, and make
Her drousy Lodgers rise,
Shake from their Feet their Chains, and Slumber from their Eyes.
Princes and Kings who underground
Only with Worms and Dust are crown'd,
She from their Beds of Darkness shall release,
The only Thrones they now possess:
To meet Assyria's Tyrant on his way,
The Grave this Royal Embassy shall send;
And, as instructed, they shall say,
O King, does thus thy Pomp and Empire end?
Feeble as we art thou become?
Must we conduct thee to a narrow Tomb,
For whom the World before had scarce sufficient room?
Art thou whose Scepter had so vast a sway,
Whose Will ev'n Kings themselves did once obey,
Stript of thy Pow'r and Majesty,
Art thou as Naked, Poor and Weak as we?
Disturb the Peaceful Dead, and make
Her drousy Lodgers rise,
Shake from their Feet their Chains, and Slumber from their Eyes.
Princes and Kings who underground
Only with Worms and Dust are crown'd,
She from their Beds of Darkness shall release,
The only Thrones they now possess:
To meet Assyria's Tyrant on his way,
The Grave this Royal Embassy shall send;
And, as instructed, they shall say,
O King, does thus thy Pomp and Empire end?
Feeble as we art thou become?
Must we conduct thee to a narrow Tomb,
For whom the World before had scarce sufficient room?
Art thou whose Scepter had so vast a sway,
Whose Will ev'n Kings themselves did once obey,
Stript of thy Pow'r and Majesty,
Art thou as Naked, Poor and Weak as we?
254
Could not thy Conq'ring Armys save
Their mighty Monarch from the Grave?
Must thou too in a dark and dusty Bed
Lay thy Imperial awful Head,
And be with Worms instead of Scarlet spread?
And must the Ear
That us'd to hear
The Viol's, or the Harp's melodious Noise,
Or the Flatterer's softer Voice,
Be now with us the Dead entomb'd,
To everlasting Silence doom'd?
Their mighty Monarch from the Grave?
Must thou too in a dark and dusty Bed
Lay thy Imperial awful Head,
And be with Worms instead of Scarlet spread?
And must the Ear
That us'd to hear
The Viol's, or the Harp's melodious Noise,
Or the Flatterer's softer Voice,
Be now with us the Dead entomb'd,
To everlasting Silence doom'd?
How art thou fal'n from Heav'n, O Lucifer,
Son of the Morn,
How does thy Glory disappear,
Which once thy Temples did adorn?
Grown mad with Pride, by Flatt'ry fed,
Thou in thy Heart has oft blaspheming said,
I into Heav'n, will, as a God, arise,
And shine above the Stars amidst the Skys.
Worship Divine will me befit,
I base Mortality disown,
And therefore will on Zion fix my Throne,
And there to be ador'd in Majesty will sit.
Above the Clouds of Heav'n will I ascend,
And my Dominion o'er the World extend.
My Greatness Men shall like to God's adore,
And uncontroul'd, like his, shall be my Sov'raign Pow'r.
Son of the Morn,
How does thy Glory disappear,
Which once thy Temples did adorn?
Grown mad with Pride, by Flatt'ry fed,
Thou in thy Heart has oft blaspheming said,
I into Heav'n, will, as a God, arise,
And shine above the Stars amidst the Skys.
Worship Divine will me befit,
I base Mortality disown,
And therefore will on Zion fix my Throne,
And there to be ador'd in Majesty will sit.
Above the Clouds of Heav'n will I ascend,
And my Dominion o'er the World extend.
My Greatness Men shall like to God's adore,
And uncontroul'd, like his, shall be my Sov'raign Pow'r.
255
Yet, Tyrant, thou shalt sink as low as Hell,
And of thy State divested dwell
In the gloomy Shades beneath,
In the dusty Courts of Death.
Where thy Arrival will the Dead amaze,
On thee the pale Inhabitants will gaze,
And cry, is this the late pretended God
That govern'd Millions with his Nod,
And on the Necks of Captive Princes trod?
Is this th'Immortal Man that never cloy'd
With Blood and Rapine all the Earth destroy'd?
That Princes of their Thrones did dispossess
Did wasted Nations with his Yoke oppress,
And made the empty World a howling Wilderness?
Who Tow'rs demolish'd, goodly Buildings burn'd
And Cities into Rubbish turn'd;
Who never gave his People rest,
Nor once his Pris'ners from their Chains releast.
And of thy State divested dwell
In the gloomy Shades beneath,
In the dusty Courts of Death.
Where thy Arrival will the Dead amaze,
On thee the pale Inhabitants will gaze,
And cry, is this the late pretended God
That govern'd Millions with his Nod,
And on the Necks of Captive Princes trod?
Is this th'Immortal Man that never cloy'd
With Blood and Rapine all the Earth destroy'd?
That Princes of their Thrones did dispossess
Did wasted Nations with his Yoke oppress,
And made the empty World a howling Wilderness?
Who Tow'rs demolish'd, goodly Buildings burn'd
And Cities into Rubbish turn'd;
Who never gave his People rest,
Nor once his Pris'ners from their Chains releast.
When other Sov'raign Princes die,
They lie in pompous Sepulchres, prepar'd
To Lodge their Royal Family,
And as they liv'd they are in State inter'd.
But none thy Body in the Tomb shall lay,
They'll cast it as a rotten Branch away.
No Funeral Honours shall thy Herse adorn,
But as the bloody Raiment of the Slain
Whom the next Pit or Quarries entertain,
Thy more polluted Carcass shall with scorn
Be trodden under foot, and into pieces torn.
They lie in pompous Sepulchres, prepar'd
To Lodge their Royal Family,
And as they liv'd they are in State inter'd.
But none thy Body in the Tomb shall lay,
They'll cast it as a rotten Branch away.
No Funeral Honours shall thy Herse adorn,
But as the bloody Raiment of the Slain
Whom the next Pit or Quarries entertain,
256
Be trodden under foot, and into pieces torn.
Thou shalt not from thy Palace be convey'd
As other Monarchs use to be,
Nor in a stately Tomb be laid
With costly Rites and sad Solemnity.
Because thy Salvage Hand
Has slain thy People and destroy'd thy Land.
God shall all Marks and Monuments efface
Of this ungodly, cruel Race.
His Hand that rais'd them up shall pull'em down,
And strip them of their Glory and Renown.
Resistless Ruin he will on 'em send,
Their House and Empire shall together end.
As other Monarchs use to be,
Nor in a stately Tomb be laid
With costly Rites and sad Solemnity.
Because thy Salvage Hand
Has slain thy People and destroy'd thy Land.
God shall all Marks and Monuments efface
Of this ungodly, cruel Race.
His Hand that rais'd them up shall pull'em down,
And strip them of their Glory and Renown.
Resistless Ruin he will on 'em send,
Their House and Empire shall together end.
Let it ye Medes and Persians be you Care
Destruction for their Children to prepare.
No tenderness to Age or Sex express,
But on the Sons avenge the Father's Wickedness.
That this curst House may never more
Regain their Splendor and their former Pow'r.
Destruction for their Children to prepare.
No tenderness to Age or Sex express,
But on the Sons avenge the Father's Wickedness.
That this curst House may never more
Regain their Splendor and their former Pow'r.
Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, O Babilon,
Thou'rt fully ripe for Ruin grown:
In Storms of Vengeance I'll against thee rise
Which shall thy careless Sons surprise.
Thy lofty Tow'rs I'll level lay,
And sweep thy vile Inhabitants away.
Thou'rt fully ripe for Ruin grown:
In Storms of Vengeance I'll against thee rise
Which shall thy careless Sons surprise.
Thy lofty Tow'rs I'll level lay,
And sweep thy vile Inhabitants away.
257
Thee like to Sodom I will make,
And turn thee to a mighty Lake.
The lonesome Bittern shall possess
This Fenny Seat, this Reedy Wilderness.
The Waves shall thro' thy Cedar Chambers rowl,
And on thy Shore shall Water-Monsters howl.
The Palaces where cruel Kings did reign,
In time to come shall entertain
The mute Oppressors of the Main.
So Babylon shall always be
The Seat of Blood and Tyranny.
A scaly Garrison shall dwell
In every Fort and Cittadel.
The swift Assassins of the Flood shall sport
Within thy Monarch's weedy Court;
Thither shall Fish of every Kind resort.
There thy Luxurious Sons they shall devour,
And feed on those; who fed on them before.
And turn thee to a mighty Lake.
The lonesome Bittern shall possess
This Fenny Seat, this Reedy Wilderness.
The Waves shall thro' thy Cedar Chambers rowl,
And on thy Shore shall Water-Monsters howl.
The Palaces where cruel Kings did reign,
In time to come shall entertain
The mute Oppressors of the Main.
So Babylon shall always be
The Seat of Blood and Tyranny.
A scaly Garrison shall dwell
In every Fort and Cittadel.
The swift Assassins of the Flood shall sport
Within thy Monarch's weedy Court;
Thither shall Fish of every Kind resort.
There thy Luxurious Sons they shall devour,
And feed on those; who fed on them before.
| A paraphrase on the Book of Job | |