| HOW like an Angel came I down! | |
| How bright are all things here! | |
| When first among His works I did appear | |
| O how their glory me did crown! | |
| The world resembled His Eternity, | 5 |
| In which my soul did walk; | |
| And every thing that I did see | |
| Did with me talk. | |
| |
| The skies in their magnificence, | |
| The lively, lovely air, | 10 |
| Oh how divine, how soft, how sweet, how fair! | |
| The stars did entertain my sense, | |
| And all the works of God, so bright and pure, | |
| So rich and great did seem, | |
| As if they ever must endure | 15 |
| In my esteem. | |
| |
| A native health and innocence | |
| Within my bones did grow, | |
| And while my God did all his Glories show, | |
| I felt a vigour in my sense | 20 |
| That was all Spirit. I within did flow | |
| With seas of life, like wine; | |
| I nothing in the world did know | |
| But ’twas divine. | |
| |
| Harsh ragged objects were concealed, | 25 |
| Oppressions, tears and cries, | |
| Sins, griefs, complaints, dissensions, weeping eyes | |
| Were hid, and only things revealed | |
| Which heavenly Spirits and the Angels prize. | |
| The state of Innocence | 30 |
| And bliss, not trades and poverties, | |
| Did fill my sense. | |
| |
| The streets were paved with golden stones, | |
| The boys and girls were mine, | |
| Oh how did all their lovely faces shine! | 35 |
| The sons of men were holy ones, | |
| In joy and beauty they appeared to me, | |
| And every thing which here I found, | |
| While like an Angel I did see, | |
| Adorned the ground. | 40 |
| |
| Rich diamond and pearl and gold | |
| In every place was seen; | |
| Rare splendours, yellow, blue, red, white and green, | |
| Mine eyes did everywhere behold. | |
| Great wonders clothed with glory did appear, | 45 |
| Amazement was my bliss, | |
| That and my wealth was everywhere; | |
| No joy to this! | |
| |
| Cursed and devised proprieties, | |
| With envy, avarice | 50 |
| And fraud, those fiends that spoil even Paradise, | |
| Flew from the splendour of mine eyes, | |
| And so did hedges, ditches, limits, bounds, | |
| I dreamed not aught of those, | |
| But wandered over all men’s grounds, | 55 |
| And found repose. | |
| |
| Proprieties themselves were mine, | |
| And hedges ornaments; | |
| Walls, boxes, coffers, and their rich contents | |
| Did not divide my joys, but all combine. | 60 |
| Clothes, ribbons, jewels, laces, I esteemed | |
| My joys by others worn: | |
| For me they all to wear them seemed | |
| When I was born. | |
