Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
SUBLIME—invention ever young, | |
Of vast conception, tow’ring tongue | |
To God th’ eternal theme; | |
Notes from yon exaltations caught, | |
Unrivall’d royalty of thought | 5 |
O’er meaner strains supreme. | |
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His muse, bright angel of his verse, | |
Gives balm for all the thorns that pierce, | |
For all the pangs that rage; | |
Blest light still gaining on the gloom, | 10 |
The more than Michal of his bloom, | |
Th’ Abishag of his age. | |
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He sang of God—the mighty source | |
Of all things—the stupendous force | |
On which all strength depends; | 15 |
From whose right arm, beneath whose eyes, | |
All period, power, and enterprise | |
Commences, reigns, and ends. | |
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Tell them, I AM, Jehovah said | |
To Moses; while earth heard in dread, | 20 |
And, smitten to the heart, | |
At once above, beneath, around, | |
All Nature, without voice or sound, | |
Replied, O LORD, THOU ART. | |
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The world, the clustering spheres, He made; | 25 |
The glorious light, the soothing shade, | |
Dale, champaign, grove, and hill; | |
The multitudinous abyss, | |
Where Secrecy remains in bliss, | |
And Wisdom hides her skill. | 30 |
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The pillars of the Lord are seven, | |
Which stand from earth to topmost heaven; | |
His Wisdom drew the plan; | |
His Word accomplish’d the design, | |
From brightest gem to deepest mine; | 35 |
From Christ enthroned, to Man. | |
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For Adoration all the ranks | |
Of Angels yield eternal thanks, | |
And David in the midst; | |
With God’s good poor, which, last and least | 40 |
In man’s esteem, Thou to Thy feast, | |
O blessèd Bridegroom, bidd’st! | |
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For Adoration, David’s Psalms | |
Lift up the heart to deeds of alms; | |
And he, who kneels and chants, | 45 |
Prevails his passions to control, | |
Finds meat and medicine to the soul, | |
Which for translation pants. | |
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For Adoration, in the dome | |
Of Christ, the sparrows find a home, | 50 |
And on His olives perch: | |
The swallow also dwells with thee, | |
O man of God’s humility, | |
Within his Saviour’s church. | |
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Sweet is the dew that falls betimes, | 55 |
And drops upon the leafy limes; | |
Sweet Hermon’s fragrant air: | |
Sweet is the lily’s silver bell, | |
And sweet the wakeful tapers’ smell | |
That watch for early prayer. | 60 |
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Sweet the young nurse, with love intense, | |
Which smiles o’er sleeping innocence; | |
Sweet, when the lost arrive: | |
Sweet the musician’s ardour beats, | |
While his vague mind’s in quest of sweets, | 65 |
The choicest flowers to hive. | |
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Strong is the horse upon his speed; | |
Strong in pursuit the rapid glede, | |
Which makes at once his game: | |
Strong the tall ostrich on the ground; | 70 |
Strong through the turbulent profound | |
Shoots Xiphias to his aim. | |
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Strong is the lion—like a coal | |
His eyeball,—like a bastion’s mole | |
His chest against the foes: | 75 |
Strong, the gier-eagle on his sail; | |
Strong against tide th’ enormous whale | |
Emerges as he goes. | |
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But stronger still, in earth and air, | |
And in the sea, the man of prayer, | 80 |
And far beneath the tide: | |
And in the seat to faith assign’d, | |
Where ask is have, where seek is find, | |
Where knock is open wide. | |
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Precious the penitential tear; | 85 |
And precious is the sigh sincere, | |
Acceptable to God: | |
And precious are the winning flowers, | |
In gladsome Israel’s feast of bowers | |
Bound on the hallow’d sod. | 90 |
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Glorious the sun in mid career; | |
Glorious th’ assembled fires appear; | |
Glorious the comet’s train: | |
Glorious the trumpet and alarm; | |
Glorious the Almighty’s stretched-out arm; | 95 |
Glorious th’ enraptured main: | |
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Glorious the northern lights astream; | |
Glorious the song, when God ‘s the theme; | |
Glorious the thunder’s roar: | |
Glorious Hosanna from the den; | 100 |
Glorious the catholic Amen; | |
Glorious the martyr’s gore: | |
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Glorious—more glorious—is the crown | |
Of Him that brought salvation down, | |
By meekness call’d thy Son: | 105 |
Thou that stupendous truth believed;— | |
And now the matchless deed ‘s achieved, | |
Determined, dared, and done! | |