Henry Charles Beeching, ed. (1859–1919). Lyra Sacra: A Book of Religious Verse. 1903.
By Henry Vaughan (16221695)The Dawning
AH! what time wilt Thou come? when shall that cry, | |
The Bridegroom’s coming! fill the sky; | |
Shall it in the evening run | |
When our words and works are done? | |
Or will Thy all-surprising light | 5 |
Break at midnight, | |
When either sleep or some dark pleasure | |
Possesseth mad man without measure? | |
Or shall these early, fragrant hours | |
Unlock Thy bow’rs, | 10 |
And with their blush of light descry | |
Thy locks crown’d with eternity? | |
Indeed, it is the only time | |
That with Thy glory doth best chime; | |
All now are stirring, ev’ry field | 15 |
Full hymns doth yield; | |
The whole Creation shakes off night, | |
And for Thy shadow looks the light; | |
Stars now vanish without number, | |
Sleepy planets set and slumber, | 20 |
The pursy clouds disband and scatter, | |
All expect some sudden matter; | |
Not one beam triumphs but from far | |
That morning-star. | |
O at what time soever thou | 25 |
Unknown to us the heavens wilt bow, | |
And, with Thy angels in the van, | |
Descend to judge poor careless man, | |
Grant, I may not like puddle lie | |
In a corrupt security, | 30 |
Where if a traveller water crave, | |
He finds it dead, and in a grave. | |
But as this restless, vocal spring | |
All day and night doth run, and sing, | |
And though here born, yet is acquainted | 35 |
Elsewhere, and flowing keeps untainted; | |
So let me all my busy age | |
In Thy free services engage; | |
And though (while here) of force I must | |
Have commerce sometimes with poor dust, | 40 |
And in my flesh, though vile and low, | |
As this doth in her channel flow, | |
Yet let my course, my aim, my love, | |
And chief acquaintance be above; | |
So when that day and hour shall come, | 45 |
In which Thyself will be the sun, | |
Thou’lt find me drest and on my way, | |
Watching the break of Thy great day. | |