The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw Volume I Part 19

'But to poore shepheards' simple things, That vse not varnish; noe oyl'd arts, But lift cleane hands full of cleare hearts.'

" 108, '... while they feed the sheepe.'

" 114, 'Wee'l burne ...'

These variations agree with the text of 1646. See our Essay for critical remarks. G.

NEW YEAR'S DAY.[37]

Rise, thou best and brightest morning!

Rosy with a double red; With thine own blush thy cheeks adorning, And the dear drops this day were shed.

All the purple pride, that laces The crimson curtains of thy bed, Guilds thee not with so sweet graces, Nor setts thee in so rich a red.

Of all the fair-cheek't flowrs that fill thee, None so fair thy bosom strowes, As this modest maiden lilly Our sins haue sham'd into a rose.

Bid thy golden G.o.d, the sun, Burnisht in his best beames rise, Put all his red-ey'd rubies on; These rubies shall putt out their eyes.

Let him make poor the purple East, Search what the world's close cabinets keep, Rob the rich births of each bright nest That flaming in their fair beds sleep.

Let him embraue his own bright tresses With a new morning made of gemmes; And wear, in those his wealthy dresses, Another day of diadems.

When he hath done all he may To make himselfe rich in his rise, All will be darknes to the day That breakes from one of these bright eyes.

And soon this sweet truth shall appear, Dear Babe, ere many dayes be done; The Morn shall come to meet Thee here, And leaue her own neglected sun.

Here are beautyes shall bereaue him Of all his eastern paramours.

His Persian louers all shall leaue him, And swear faith to Thy sweeter powres; Nor while they leave him shall they lose the sun, But in Thy fairest eyes find two for one.

NOTES AND ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.

St. ii. line 1,

'All the purple pride that laces;'

the reference is to the empurpled lighter and lace- (or gauze-) like clouds of the morning. The heavier clouds are the 'crimson curtains,'

the 'purple laces' the fleecy, lace-like, and empurpled streakings of the lighter and dissolving clouds, which the Poet likens to the lace that edged the coverlet, and possibly other parts of the bed and bedstead. SHAKESPEARE describes a similar appearance with the same word, but uses it in the sense of inter or cross lacing, when he makes Juliet say (iii. 5),

'look, love, what envious streaks Do _lace_ the severing clouds in yonder East.'

So too in stanza v. 'each sparkling nest,' the flame-coloured clouds are intended. 'Nest,' like 'bud,' is a favourite word with CRASHAW, and he uses it freely. In 1648 edition, st. iii. line 2 reads 'showes;' stanza v. line 2, 'cabinets;' stanza viii. line 5, 'and meet;' stanza ix.

'paramours' = lovers, wooers, _not_ as now signifying loose love. G.

IN THE GLORIOVS EPIPHANIE OF OVR LORD G.o.d:

A HYMN SVNG AS BY THE THREE KINGS.[38]

_1 Kinge._ Bright Babe! Whose awfull beautyes make 1 The morn incurr a sweet mistake;

_2 Kinge._ For Whom the officious Heauns deuise To disinheritt the sun's rise:

_3 Kinge._ Delicately to displace 5 The day, and plant it fairer in Thy face.

_1 Kinge._ O Thou born King of loues!

_2 Kinge._ Of lights!

_3 Kinge._ Of ioyes!

_Chorus._ Look vp, sweet Babe, look vp and see 10 For loue of Thee, Thus farr from home The East is come To seek her self in Thy sweet eyes.

_1 Kinge._ We, who strangely went astray, 15 Lost in a bright Meridian night.

_2 Kinge._ A darknes made of too much day.

_3 Kinge._ Becken'd from farr By Thy fair starr, 20 Lo, at last haue found our way.

_Chorus._ To Thee, Thou Day of Night! Thou East of West!

Lo, we at last haue found the way To Thee, the World's great vniuersal East, The generall and indifferent Day. 25

_1 Kinge._ All-circling point! all-centring sphear!

The World's one, round, aeternall year:

_2 Kinge._ Whose full and all-vnwrinkled face Nor sinks nor swells with time or place;

_3 Kinge._ But euery where and euery while 30 Is one consistent, solid smile:

_1 Kinge._ Not vext and tost

_2 Kinge._ 'Twixt Spring and frost;

_3 Kinge._ Nor by alternate shredds of light, Sordidly s.h.i.+fting hands with shades and Night. 35

_Chorus._ O little all! in Thy embrace The World lyes warm, and likes his place; Nor does his full globe fail to be Kist on both his cheeks by Thee.

Time is too narrow for Thy year, 40 Nor makes the whole World Thy half-sphear.

_1 Kinge._ To Thee, to Thee From him we flee.

_2 Kinge._ From him, whom by a more ill.u.s.trious ly, The blindnes of the World did call the eye. 45