The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw Volume I Part 20

_3 Kinge._ To Him, Who by these mortall clouds hast made Thyself our sun, though Thine Own shade.

_1 Kinge._ Farewell, the World's false light!

Farewell, the white aegypt; a long farewell to thee 50 Bright idol, black idolatry: The dire face of inferior darknes, kis't And courted in the pompus mask of a more specious mist.

_2 Kinge._ Farewell, farewell The proud and misplac't gates of h.e.l.l, 55 Pertch't in the Morning's way _perched._ And double-guilded as the doores of Day: The deep hypocrisy of Death and Night More desperately dark, because more bright.

_3 Kinge._ Welcome, the World's sure way! 60 Heavn's wholsom ray.

_Chorus._ Wellcome to vs; and we (Sweet!) to our selues, in Thee.

_1 Kinge._ The deathles Heir of all Thy Father's day!

_2 Kinge._ Decently born! 65 Embosom'd in a much more rosy Morn: The blushes of Thy all-vnblemisht mother.

_3 Kinge._ No more that other Aurora shall sett ope Her ruby cas.e.m.e.nts, or hereafter hope 70 From mortall eyes To meet religious welcomes at her rise.

_Chorus._ We (pretious ones!) in you haue won A gentler Morn, a iuster sun.

_1 Kinge._ His superficiall beames sun-burn't our skin; 75

_2 Kinge._ But left within

_3 Kinge._ The Night and Winter still of Death and Sin.

_Chorus._ Thy softer yet more certaine darts Spare our eyes, but peirce our harts:

_1 Kinge._ Therfore with his proud Persian spoiles 80

_2 Kinge._ We court Thy more concerning smiles.

_3 Kinge._ Therfore with his disgrace We guild the humble cheek of this chast place;

_Chorus._ And at Thy feet powr forth his face.

_1 Kinge._ The doating Nations now no more 85 Shall any day but Thine adore.

_2 Kinge._ Nor--much lesse--shall they leaue these eyes For cheap aegyptian deityes.

_3 Kinge._ In whatsoe're more sacred shape Of ram, he-goat, or reuerend ape; 90 Those beauteous rauishers opprest so sore The too-hard-tempted nations.

_1 Kinge._ Neuer more By wanton heyfer shall be worn

_2 Kinge._ A garland, or a guilded horn: 95 The altar-stall'd ox, fatt Osyris now With his fair sister cow

_3 Kinge._ Shall kick the clouds no more; but lean and tame,

_Chorus._ See His horn'd face, and dy for shame: And Mithra now shall be no name. 100

_1 Kinge._ No longer shall the immodest l.u.s.t Of adulterous G.o.dles dust

_2 Kinge._ Fly in the face of Heau'n; as if it were The poor World's fault that He is fair. 105

_3 Kinge._ Nor with peruerse loues and religious rapes Reuenge Thy bountyes in their beauteous shapes; And punish best things worst; because they stood Guilty of being much for them too good.

_1 Kinge._ Proud sons of Death! that durst compell 110 Heau'n it self to find them h.e.l.l:

_2 Kinge._ And by strange witt of madnes wrest From this World's East the other's West.

_3 Kinge._ All-idolizing wormes! that thus could crowd And vrge their sun into Thy cloud; 115 Forcing His sometimes eclips'd face to be A long deliquium to the light of Thee.

_Chorus._ Alas! with how much heauyer shade The shamefac't lamp hung down his head For that one eclipse he made, 120 Then all those he suffered!

_1 Kinge._ For this he look't so bigg; and euery morn With a red face confes't his scorn.

Or hiding his vex't cheeks in a hir'd mist Kept them from being so vnkindly kis't. 125

_2 Kinge._ It was for this the Day did rise So oft with blubber'd eyes: For this the Evening wept; and we ne're knew But call'd it deaw.

_3 Kinge._ This dayly wrong 130 Silenc't the morning-sons, and damp't their song:

_Chorus._ Nor was't our deafnes, but our sins, that thus Long made th' harmonious...o...b..s all mute to vs.

_1 Kinge._ Time has a day in store When this so proudly poor 135 And self-oppressed spark, that has so long By the loue-sick World bin made Not so much their sun as shade: Weary of this glorious wrong From them and from himself shall flee 140 For shelter to the shadow of Thy tree:

_Chorus._ Proud to haue gain'd this pretious losse And chang'd his false crown for Thy crosse.

_2 Kinge._ That dark Day's clear doom shall define Whose is the master Fire, which sun should s.h.i.+ne: 145 That sable judgment-seat shall by new lawes Decide and settle the great cause Of controuerted light:

_Chorus._ And Natur's wrongs rejoyce to doe Thee right.

_3 Kinge._ That forfeiture of Noon to Night shall pay 150 All the idolatrous thefts done by this Night of Day; And the great Penitent presse his own pale lipps With an elaborate loue-eclipse: To which the low World's lawes Shall lend no cause, 155

_Chorus._ Saue those domestick which He borrowes From our sins and His Own sorrowes.

_1 Kinge._ Three sad hours' sackcloth then shall show to vs His penance, as our fault, conspicuous:

_2 Kinge._ And He more needfully and n.o.bly proue 160 The Nations' terror now then erst their loue.

_3 Kinge._ Their hated loues changd into wholsom feares:

_Chorus._ The shutting of His eye shall open their's.

_1 Kinge._ As by a fair-ey'd fallacy of Day Miss-ledde, before, they lost their way; 165 So shall they, by the seasonable fright Of an vnseasonable Night, Loosing it once again, stumble on true Light:

_2 Kinge._ And as before His too-bright eye Was their more blind idolatry; 170 So his officious blindnes now shall be Their black, but faithfull perspectiue of Thee:

_3 Kinge._ His new prodigious Night, Their new and admirable light, The supernaturall dawn of Thy pure Day; 175 While wondring they (The happy conuerts now of Him Whom they compell'd before to be their sin) Shall henceforth see To kisse him only as their rod, 180 Whom they so long courted as G.o.d.

_Chorus._ And their best vse of him they wors.h.i.+p't, be To learn of him at last, to wors.h.i.+p Thee.