The Poems of James VI. of Scotland Edited by James Craigie |
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| 18. | [Psal.] xviii |
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 | The Poems of James VI. of Scotland |  |
29
[Psal.] xviii
O iehoua from boddume of my hairte I uill thee louemy strenth my rokke my bulluarke & deliurer from aboue
ô iehoua my michtie godd my craigge quhomto I uill
haue my recourse in tyme of neid, my targe & buklerr still
he is the horne als of my health to uitt my onlie micht
my forteress & my strongest toure sett up upon á hicht
throuch praising of iehoua great quhen I upon him call
I suirlie ame preserued from foes & from my ennemies all
quhen as the dolouris euen of death did compasse me I say
& forcie streames of uikked did shrouedlie me efray
yea quhen the tormentis of the tombe about me uent apace
& girnis of death came readdie thaire my boddie to embrace
in all this straitness to the lorde I call uill euer still
& to my godd I schout & crye uith pearcing uoyce & schill
quho from his temple hearis my uoyce & grant doth my request
& to his earis my plainte is cum quhiche unto him I drest
then shaikin is the solide earth quhiche shudderis all amazit
yea the fundationis of the hillis do brangle sore abaizit
this trembling suirlie urocht is by the kendling of his yre
quhen reike mountis from his nose & from his mouth deuouring fyre
30
he pressis heauin & under his feit doth flie the clouddie mist
& sitting on the cherubins he glorius flies aloft
& flies on uingis of uindis that postis throuchout the uorlde full oft
he of the darkness maid his denn á house about him rounde
to uitt the darke & upmost clouddis quhaire uattir doth abounde
& by the glistering of the licht that did before him glaunce
these thiccest clouddis uaire chacit syne haill & fyre did forduart lance
quhen iehoua from loftie heauinis doth rearde his thunder fast
& quhen the hiest to his uoyce, ioynes haill & fyrie blast
quhen so he shootis his dairtis I say he doth thaime skattir all
& quhen he shootis his thunderboltis he makis thaime meltid fall
yea by thy threatning iehoua & force of furiouse breathe
the groundes of houest seas are sene & groundis of earth beneathe
then streaching doun his hande to me he pullis me upp apace
& drauis me out of many floodis by his allmichtie grace
he sauis me from my strongest foe & all my haitteris eike
hou soone thay michtier kythe to be then I quhose hairme thay seike
quhen thay forgather do uith me in trublouse tymes & strait
the lorde is then my leanning staffe & onlie makis debaitt
31
for that he hath á great delyte & pleasoure into me
according to my richteousness the lorde hath me repayed
& to the cleannes of my handes hath randerit quhen I prayed
quhen as I keipe & ualkis into the uayes of godd aricht
nor uikkedlie dois turne me from my godd the lorde of micht
but all his iudgementis are before my sicht & presence ay
& nouayes dois his iust decrees remoue from me auay
& shortlie quhen I hole & pure before his sicht remaine
& ame auare of uikked deidis & from the same refraine
conforme then to my richteousness iehoua rendris me
& to the cleanness of my handis before his heauinlie ee
thou to the meike man kythis thy self for to be uerrie meike
& to the upricht kythis thy self ane upricht dealer eike
thou richteouse uith the richteouse are, but uith the uikked man
thou stryuis & ouercummis him syne do all the uorst he can
for thou the people afflicted saues but those that proudlie looke
thou dois abbaite & of thayre pryde makis thaime a trapping hooke
yea thou geuis licht unto my lampe that gydis my footesteppis richt
euen iehoua my godd doth makke my darkeness glister bricht
by thee I rinn throuchout ane oist of foes unhairmed at all
& by the pouer of my godd I free the hiest uall
the uayes of this strong godd are quhole, goddis uorde is purgit & pure
to all that haue recourse to him he is a bukklerr sure
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quho is oure rokke & steadfast grounde, but godd oure onlie one
it suirlie is this michtie godd quho girdis my loynes uith strenth
& makis my coursis & my uayes most upricht all at lenth.
| The Poems of James VI. of Scotland | |