Odes In Imitation of the Seaven Penitential Psalmes with Sundry other Poemes and ditties tending to deuotion and pietie [by Richard Rowlands] |
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AN EXPOSITION OF the Aue bel. |
 | Odes In Imitation of the Seaven Penitential Psalmes |  |
98
AN EXPOSITION OF the Aue bel.
The Chaser of my sence-detayning slumber,
vndid the windowes of my closed eyes,
And freed my thoughtes from sleepes confused cumber,
That humours turned vnto fantasies,
And faire Aurora redy at the tyde,
VVithdrew the ayes darck curtin all asyde.
vndid the windowes of my closed eyes,
And freed my thoughtes from sleepes confused cumber,
That humours turned vnto fantasies,
And faire Aurora redy at the tyde,
VVithdrew the ayes darck curtin all asyde.
In waking sylence as a whyle I lay,
Ere my fresh muse new exercise had found,
I heard the bel that soundeth thryce a day,
And tooke the sence leauing myne eare the sound,
For soundes and sights are messengers assygn'd,
To bring lost memory vnto the mynde.
Ere my fresh muse new exercise had found,
I heard the bel that soundeth thryce a day,
And tooke the sence leauing myne eare the sound,
For soundes and sights are messengers assygn'd,
To bring lost memory vnto the mynde.
And that same message which the Angel brought,
To her chaste eares that could no noyse receaue,
That might suggest conceit of any thought,
Her mynde of any puritie to reaue,
VVas by this noyse vnto my mynde renewed,
VVhereby light idle fancies were eschued.
To her chaste eares that could no noyse receaue,
That might suggest conceit of any thought,
Her mynde of any puritie to reaue,
VVas by this noyse vnto my mynde renewed,
VVhereby light idle fancies were eschued.
Eftsoones thereon to my remembrance came,
Breach of the Law, the first law-maker made,
First acte of sin, first cause of knowing shame,
First op'ned gap, for death man to inuade,
Losse of heau'ns loue, purchase of earths il wil,
Fynding of sorrow, hid in seeking skil.
Breach of the Law, the first law-maker made,
First acte of sin, first cause of knowing shame,
First op'ned gap, for death man to inuade,
Losse of heau'ns loue, purchase of earths il wil,
Fynding of sorrow, hid in seeking skil.
99
Alas O wretched man that made th' offence,
Iustice of thee demaunded the amendes,
And for thy want of yeilding recompence,
Thy vnacquyted gilt stil downe descendes,
As doth some inward rooted malady,
By heritage vnto a family.
Iustice of thee demaunded the amendes,
And for thy want of yeilding recompence,
Thy vnacquyted gilt stil downe descendes,
As doth some inward rooted malady,
By heritage vnto a family.
Thus stood from age to age and race to race,
The score of sin vnpayd vnraced out,
The world had not the woorth to purchase grace,
Hope sighing sat betwene dispaire and doubt,
And thraldome was the woful misery,
Of helplesse mannes successyue malady.
The score of sin vnpayd vnraced out,
The world had not the woorth to purchase grace,
Hope sighing sat betwene dispaire and doubt,
And thraldome was the woful misery,
Of helplesse mannes successyue malady.
So long til heau'ns great care conceaued grief,
At mannes vnablenesse himself to free,
And loue no longer could with-hold relief,
And sweet relief that may thryce happy bee,
Came eu'n at last when els lost had bene all,
And all did saue, and all vp-hold from fall.
At mannes vnablenesse himself to free,
And loue no longer could with-hold relief,
And sweet relief that may thryce happy bee,
Came eu'n at last when els lost had bene all,
And all did saue, and all vp-hold from fall.
Loue first bred grief and grief did pittie moue,
And pittie sought the way to woork redresse,
And kynde redresse the true effect of loue,
Did salue the sore that seem'd remedilesse,
Iustice for right, mercie for grace did craue,
Iustice had right, mercie her fauour gaue.
And pittie sought the way to woork redresse,
And kynde redresse the true effect of loue,
Did salue the sore that seem'd remedilesse,
Iustice for right, mercie for grace did craue,
Iustice had right, mercie her fauour gaue.
VVhich to accomplish that eternal woord,
VVhich was with God and was himself a God,
His heauenly presence would the earth affoord,
And in a virgins closure make abode,
VVhereof an Angels voyce the message brought,
As metalls noyse renew'd it to my thought.
VVhich was with God and was himself a God,
His heauenly presence would the earth affoord,
And in a virgins closure make abode,
VVhereof an Angels voyce the message brought,
As metalls noyse renew'd it to my thought.
100
To her it came whome heauens wyde view did see,
For purenesse all the worlds most woorthy creature,
A chosen mansion for the dietie,
Adornd with vertues fitting to her feature,
VVhome nature made, to shew the heauēs her skil
And heauē through her the earth with grace did fil.
For purenesse all the worlds most woorthy creature,
A chosen mansion for the dietie,
Adornd with vertues fitting to her feature,
VVhome nature made, to shew the heauēs her skil
And heauē through her the earth with grace did fil.
And where a serpent with his poysned sting,
In paradise infected Adams wyf
A pure whyte doue from paradise doth bring,
To Iosephes spouse restauratiue of lyf,
And in a virgins bed the seed doth sow,
VVhereof the tree and frute of lyf doth grow.
In paradise infected Adams wyf
A pure whyte doue from paradise doth bring,
To Iosephes spouse restauratiue of lyf,
And in a virgins bed the seed doth sow,
VVhereof the tree and frute of lyf doth grow.
Her eares conceaued first the Angels voyce,
Her heart conceau'd the heauens high decree,
Her soule iust cause conceaued to reioyce,
And her pure wombe as pure as pure might bee,
Conceau'd withal; and that strong infant bred,
VVho with his foot did break the serpents hed.
Her heart conceau'd the heauens high decree,
Her soule iust cause conceaued to reioyce,
And her pure wombe as pure as pure might bee,
Conceau'd withal; and that strong infant bred,
VVho with his foot did break the serpents hed.
Against the tyme, his birth-tyme to adorne,
Came downe on earth to consecrate the ground,
(VVith Alcion rest) Peace that in heauen was borne,
Because there might no noyse of war be found,
VVhen to the world the Prince should shew his face.
That came to all the world to offer grace.
Came downe on earth to consecrate the ground,
(VVith Alcion rest) Peace that in heauen was borne,
Because there might no noyse of war be found,
VVhen to the world the Prince should shew his face.
That came to all the world to offer grace.
VVhose entrance when it pleased him to take,
Into that country whereof death is King,
His owne self vertue mydwyf hee did make,
And to annex more wonder to the thing,
From his pure mothers closure hee did pas,
Euen as the Sun makes entrance through the glas.
Into that country whereof death is King,
His owne self vertue mydwyf hee did make,
And to annex more wonder to the thing,
From his pure mothers closure hee did pas,
Euen as the Sun makes entrance through the glas.
101
O sacred force enforcing such a berth,
The wonder of the wonders moste of woorth,
The breath of heauen clad in cote of earth,
Through an vnopened passage passing foorth,
A humaine body spryte-lyke doth dispose,
His pow'rful self that may no puissance lose.
The wonder of the wonders moste of woorth,
The breath of heauen clad in cote of earth,
Through an vnopened passage passing foorth,
A humaine body spryte-lyke doth dispose,
His pow'rful self that may no puissance lose.
And that sweet Infant of eternitie,
Is borne the infant of a virgins woombe,
And God is man and so affinitie,
Doth twixt the earth and twixt the heauen come,
VVhereby th' Almighty maker thus wee see,
Kinsman to men, to make himself to bee.
Is borne the infant of a virgins woombe,
And God is man and so affinitie,
Doth twixt the earth and twixt the heauen come,
VVhereby th' Almighty maker thus wee see,
Kinsman to men, to make himself to bee.
Making withal the virgins glorious fame,
In faithful hartes engrauen for to stand,
(VVhere of Gods mother shee must beare the name)
In faire carracters of a sacred hand,
And such a mother, mayd and wyf to bee,
As all her sexe excelles in all thee three.
In faithful hartes engrauen for to stand,
(VVhere of Gods mother shee must beare the name)
In faire carracters of a sacred hand,
And such a mother, mayd and wyf to bee,
As all her sexe excelles in all thee three.
Cleere chastitie descending from her throne,
To do her homage here vpon the ground,
A garland brought, made by her self alone,
Of Flowers that only were in Eden found,
And with obeysance set it on her hed,
VVith tytle of eternal maydenhed.
To do her homage here vpon the ground,
A garland brought, made by her self alone,
Of Flowers that only were in Eden found,
And with obeysance set it on her hed,
VVith tytle of eternal maydenhed.
The Angels trumps did sound the heavens peace,
An easterne star stream'd out the fyre of ioy,
God on his foot-stool did his state decrease,
New amitie extinguisht old annoy,
Hate had no place on all the earth to dwel,
But did remoue vnto her hows in hel.
An easterne star stream'd out the fyre of ioy,
God on his foot-stool did his state decrease,
New amitie extinguisht old annoy,
Hate had no place on all the earth to dwel,
But did remoue vnto her hows in hel.
102
O Infant ofspring of vnending lyne,
That in this world to spring would so begin,
And with old Adams race thy self combyne,
And bee the man to satisfy for sin,
True God, true man, except with sin defyld,
VVho for to bee a man became a chyld.
That in this world to spring would so begin,
And with old Adams race thy self combyne,
And bee the man to satisfy for sin,
True God, true man, except with sin defyld,
VVho for to bee a man became a chyld.
Thus God in chyld-heid did appeere on earth,
Admitting tyme his manly growth to shew,
VVhose dayes yet crossed were by crosse of death,
Ere tyme on him could mannes ful tyme bestow,
But since for man hee would lost lyf obtayne,
Hee death to kil would first of death bee slaine.
Admitting tyme his manly growth to shew,
VVhose dayes yet crossed were by crosse of death,
Ere tyme on him could mannes ful tyme bestow,
But since for man hee would lost lyf obtayne,
Hee death to kil would first of death bee slaine.
| Odes In Imitation of the Seaven Penitential Psalmes | |