Henry Charles Beeching, ed. (1859–1919). Lyra Sacra: A Book of Religious Verse. 1903.
By Robert Southwell (1561?1595)At Home in Heaven
FRAIL soul! how long shall veils thy graces shroud? | |
How long shall this exile withhold thy right? | |
When will thy sun disperse his mortal cloud, | |
And give thy glories scope to blaze their light? | |
Oh, that a star, more fit for angels’ eyes, | 5 |
Should pine in earth, not shine above the skies! | |
Thy ghostly beauty offer’d force to God, | |
It chainèd Him in links of tender love; | |
It won His will with man to make abode; | |
It stay’d His sword, and did His wrath remove: | 10 |
It made the rigour of His justice yield, | |
And crownèd Mercy empress of the field. | |
This brought Him from the ranks of heavenly quires | |
Into this vale of tears and cursèd soil; | |
From flowers of grace into a world of briars, | 15 |
From life to death, from bliss to baleful toil. | |
This made Him wander in our pilgrim weed, | |
And taste our torments to relieve our need. | |