The poems of William Habington Edited with introduction and commentary by Kenneth Allott |
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Laudate Dominum de cælis. DAVID.
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 | The poems of William Habington |  |
131
Laudate Dominum de cælis. DAVID.
You Spirits! who have throwne away
That enveous weight of clay
Which your cælestiall flight denyed:
Who by your glorious troopes supply
The winged Hierarchie,
So broken in the Angells pride!
That enveous weight of clay
Which your cælestiall flight denyed:
Who by your glorious troopes supply
The winged Hierarchie,
So broken in the Angells pride!
O you! whom your Creators sight
Inebriates with delight!
Sing forth the triumphs of his name
All you enamord soules! agree
In a loud symphonie:
To give expressions to your flame!
Inebriates with delight!
Sing forth the triumphs of his name
All you enamord soules! agree
In a loud symphonie:
To give expressions to your flame!
To him, his owne great workes relate,
Who daign'd to elevate
You 'bove the frailtie of your birth:
Where you stand safe from that rude warre,
With which we troubled are
By the rebellion of our earth.
Who daign'd to elevate
You 'bove the frailtie of your birth:
Where you stand safe from that rude warre,
With which we troubled are
By the rebellion of our earth.
While a corrupted ayre beneath
Here in this World we breath
Each houre some passion us assailes:
Now lust casts wild-fire in the blood,
Or that it may seeme good,
It selfe in wit or beauty vailes.
Here in this World we breath
Each houre some passion us assailes:
Now lust casts wild-fire in the blood,
Or that it may seeme good,
It selfe in wit or beauty vailes.
Then envie circles us with hate,
And layes a siege so streight,
No heavenly succor enters in:
But if Revenge admittance finde,
For ever hath the mind
Made forfeit of it selfe to sinne.
And layes a siege so streight,
No heavenly succor enters in:
But if Revenge admittance finde,
For ever hath the mind
Made forfeit of it selfe to sinne.
132
Assaulted thus, how dare we raise
Our mindes to thinke his praise,
Who is Æternall and immens?
How dare we force our feeble wit
To speake him infinite,
So farre above the search of sence?
Our mindes to thinke his praise,
Who is Æternall and immens?
How dare we force our feeble wit
To speake him infinite,
So farre above the search of sence?
O you! who are immaculate
His name may celebrate
In your soules bright expansion.
You whom your vertues did unite
To his perpetuall light,
That even with him you now shine one.
His name may celebrate
In your soules bright expansion.
You whom your vertues did unite
To his perpetuall light,
That even with him you now shine one.
While we who t' earth contract our hearts,
And onely studie Arts
To shorten the sad length of Time:
In place of joyes bring humble feares:
For hymnes, repentant teares
And a new sigh for every crime.
And onely studie Arts
To shorten the sad length of Time:
In place of joyes bring humble feares:
For hymnes, repentant teares
And a new sigh for every crime.
| The poems of William Habington | |