Collected poems of Sir Thomas Wyatt :: :: University of Virginia Library

Ffrom depth off sinn and from a diepe dispaire,
Ffrom depth off deth, from depth off hertes sorow,
From this diepe Cave off darknes diepe repayre,
The have I cald o lord to be my borow;
Thow in my voyce o lord perceyve and here
My hert, my hope, my

plaint

, my ouerthrow,
My will to ryse, and let by graunt apere
That to my voyce, thin eres do well entend.
No place so farr that to the it is not nere;
No depth so diepe that thou ne maist extend
Thin ere therto; here then my wofull

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.
Ffor, lord, if thou do observe what men offend
And putt thi natyff mercy in restraint,
If just exaction demaund recompense,
Who may endure o lord? who shall not faynt
At such acompt? dred, and not reuerence,
Shold so raine large. But thou sekes rather love,
Ffor in thi hand is mercys resedence,
By hope wheroff thou dost our hertes move.
I in the, lord, have set my confydence;
My sowle such trust doth euermore approve
Thi holly word off eterne excellence,
Thi mercys promesse, that is alway just,
Have bene my stay, my piller and pretence;

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My sowle in god hath more desyrus trust
Then hath the wachman lokyng for the day,
By the releffe to quenche of slepe the thrust.
Let Israell trust vnto the lord alway,
Ffor grace and favour arn his propertie;
Plenteus rannzome shall com with hym, I say,
And shall redeme all our iniquitie.

This word redeme that in his mowght did sownd,
Did put David, it semyth vnto me,
As in a traunce to starre apon the grownd,
And with his thowght the heyght of hevin to se;
Where he beholdes the word that shold confownd
The sword off deth, by humble ere to be
In mortall mayd, in mortall habitt made,
Eternall lyff in mortall vaile to shade.

He seith that word, when full rype tyme shold come,
Do way that vayle by fervent affectione
Torne off with deth, for deth shold have her dome.
And leppeth lyghter from such coruptione
The glint of lyght that in the Ayre doth lome.
Manne redemid, deth hath her distructione,
That mortall vaile hath immortalite,
David assurance off his iniquite.

Wherby he frames this reson in his hert:
That goodnes wych doth not forbere his sonne
From deth for me and can therby convert
My deth to lyff, my synn to salvation,
Both can and woll a smaller grace depert

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To hym that suyth by humble supplication;
And sins I have his larger grace assayd,
To aske this thing whi ame I then affrayd?

He grauntyth most to them that most do crave,
And he delyghtes in suyte withowt respect;
Alas my sonne, poursuys me to the grave,
Sufferd by god my sinne for to correct;
But of my sinne sins I my pardonne have,
My sonnis poursuyt shall shortly be reiect;
Then woll I crave with suryd confidence.
And thus begynns the suyt off his pretence.