John Donne
Page 33
By taking our blood, owest it us again,
Gain to Thyself or us allow,
And let not both us and Thyself be slain.
O lamb of God, which took’st our sin
Which could not stick to Thee,
[250] O let it not return to us again,
But patient and physician being free,
As sin is nothing, let it nowhere be.
Goodfriday, 1613. Riding Westward
Let man’s soul be a sphere, and then, in this,
The’intelligence that moves, devotion is,
And as the other spheres, by being grown
Subject to foreign motions, lose their own,
And being by others hurried every day,
Scarce in a year their natural form obey,
Pleasure or business, so, our souls admit
For their first mover, and are whirled by it.
Hence is’t that I am carried towards the West
[10] This day, when my soul’s form bends towards the East.
There I should see a sun, by rising, set,
And by that setting endless day beget;
But that Christ on this cross did rise and fall,
Sin had eternally benighted all.
Yet dare I’almost be glad I do not see
That spectacle of too much weight for me.
Who sees God’s face, that is self-life, must die;
What a death were it then to see God die?
It made His own lieutenant, Nature, shrink,
[20] It made His footstool crack, and the sun wink.
Could I behold those hands which span the poles,
And turn all spheres at once, pierced with those holes?
Could I behold that endless height which is
Zenith to us, and our antipodes,
Humbled below us? or that blood which is
The seat of all our souls, if not of His,
Made dirt of dust, or that flesh which was worn
By God for His apparel, ragged and torn?
If on these things I durst not look, durst I
[30] Upon His miserable mother cast mine eye,
Who was God’s partner here, and furnished thus
Half of that sacrifice which ransomed us?
Though these things, as I ride, be from mine eye,
They’are present yet unto my memory,
For that looks towards them; and Thou look’st towards me,
O Saviour, as Thou hang’st upon the tree;
I turn my back to Thee but to receive
Corrections, till Thy mercies bid Thee leave.
O think me worth Thine anger, punish me,
[40] Burn off my rusts and my deformity,
Restore Thine image, so much, by Thy grace,
That Thou may’st know me, and I’ll turn my face.
The Lamentations of Jeremy, for the most part according to Tremelius
CHAP. I.
1 How sits this city, late most populous,
Thus solitary, and like a widow thus?
Amplest of nations, queen of provinces
She was, who now thus tributary is?
2 Still in the night she weeps, and her tears fall
Down by her cheeks along, and none of all
Her lovers comfort her. Perfidiously
Her friends have dealt, and now are enemy.
3 Unto great bondage and afflictions
[10] Judah is captive led. Those nations
With whom she dwells, no place of rest afford,
In straits she meets her persecutor’s sword.
4 Empty are the gates of Zion, and her ways
Mourn, because none come to her solemn days.
Her priests do groan, her maids are comfortless,
And she’s unto herself a bitterness.
5 Her foes are grown her head, and live at peace,
Because when her transgressions did increase,
The Lord struck her with sadness. Th’enemy
[20] Doth drive her children to captivity.
6 From Zion’s daughter is all beauty gone,
Like harts which seek for pasture, and find none
Her princes are. And now before the foe
Which still pursues them, without strength they go.
7 Now in their days of tears, Jerusalem
(Her men slain by the foe, none succouring them)
Remembers what of old she esteemed most,
Whiles her foes laugh at her, for what she hath lost.
8 Jerusalem hath sinned, therefore is she
[30] Removed, as women in uncleanness be.
Who honoured, scorn her, for her foulness they
Have seen; herself doth groan, and turn away.
9 Her foulness in her skirts was seen, yet she
Remembered not her end. Miraculously
Therefore she fell, none comforting. Behold,
O Lord, my affliction, for the foe grows bold.
10 Upon all things where her delight hath been,
The foe hath stretched his hand, for she hath seen
Heathen, whom Thou command’st should not do so,
[40] Into her holy sanctuary go.
11 And all her people groan and seek for bread;
And they have given, only to be fed
All precious things, wherein their pleasure lay;
How cheap I’am grown, O Lord, behold and weigh.
12 All this concerns not you, who pass by me.
O see, and mark if any sorrow be
Like to my sorrow, which Jehovah hath
Done to me in the day of His fierce wrath?
13 That fire, which by Himself is governed,
[50] He hath cast from heaven on my bones and spread
A net before my feet, and me o’erthrown,
And made me languish all the day alone.
14 His hand hath of my sins framed a yoke,
Which wreathed and cast upon my neck, hath broke
My strength. The Lord unto those enemies
Hath given me, from whence I cannot rise.
15 He underfoot hath trodden in my sight
My strong men; He did company invite
To break my young men. He the winepress hath
[60] Trod upon Judah’s daughter in His wrath.
16 For these things do I weep; mine eye, mine eye
Casts water out, for He, which should be nigh
To comfort me, is now departed far.
The foe prevails, forlorn my children are.
17 There’s none, though Zion do stretch out her hand
To comfort her; it is the Lord’s command
That Jacob’s foes girt him. Jerusalem
Is as an unclean woman amongst them.
18 But yet the Lord is just and righteous still,
[70] I have rebelled against His holy will.
O hear all people, and my sorrow see,
My maids, my young men in captivity.
19 I called for my lovers then, but they
Deceived me, and my priests and elders lay
Dead in the city, for they sought for meat
Which should refresh their souls, they could not get.
20 Because I am in straits, Jehovah see
My heart o’erturned, my bowels muddy be.
Because I have rebelled so much, as fast
[80] The sword without, as death within, doth waste.
21 Of all which hear I mourn, none comforts me,
My foes have heard my grief, and glad they be
That Thou hast done it. But Thy promised day
Will come, when, as I suffer, so shall they.
22 Let all their wickedness appear to Thee,
Do unto them, as Thou hast done to me
For all my sins. The sighs which I have had
Are very many, and my heart is sad.
CHAP. II.
1 How over Zion’s daughter hath God hung
[90] His wrath’s thick cloud? And from heaven hath flung
To earth the beauty of Israel, and hath
Forgot His footstool in the day of wrath?
2 The Lord unsparingly hath swallowed
All Jacob’s dwellings, and demolished
To ground the strengths of Judah, and profaned
The princes of the kingdom, and the land.
3 In heat of wrath, the horn of Israel He
Hath clean cut off, and lest the enemy
Be hindered, His right hand he doth retire,
[100] But is towards Jacob, all-devouring fire.
4 Like to an enemy He bent His bow,
His right hand was in posture of a foe,
To kill what Zion’s daughter did desire,
’Gainst whom His wrath He poured forth like fire.
5 For like an enemy Jehovah is,
Devouring Israel and His palaces,
Destroying holds, giving additions
To Judah’s daughters’ lamentations.
6 Like to a garden hedge, He hath cast down
[110] The place where was His congregation,
And Zion’s feasts and sabbaths are forgot;
Her king, her priest, His wrath regardeth not.
7 The Lord forsakes His altar, and detests
His sanctuary, and in the foes’ hands rests
His palace, and the walls, in which their cries
Are heard, as in the true solemnities.
8 The Lord hath cast a line, so to confound
And level Zion’s walls unto the ground,
He draws not back His hand, which doth o’erturn
[120] The wall and rampart, which together mourn.
9 Their gates are sunk into the ground, and He
Hath broke the bar. Their king and princes be
Amongst the heathen, without law, nor there
Unto their prophets doth the Lord appear.
10 There Zion’s elders on the ground are placed,
And silence keep. Dust on their heads they cast,
In sackcloth have they girt themselves, and low
The virgins towards ground, their heads do throw.
11 My bowels are grown muddy, and mine eyes
[130] Are faint with weeping, and my liver lies
Poured out upon the ground, for misery
That sucking children in the streets do die.
12 When they had cried unto their mothers, Where
Shall we have bread and drink? They fainted there,
And in the street like wounded persons lay
Till ’twixt their mothers’ breasts they went away.
13 Daughter Jerusalem, O, what may be
A witness, or comparison for thee?
Zion, to ease thee, what shall I name like thee?
[140] Thy breach is like the sea, what help can be?
14 For the vain foolish things thy prophets sought,
Thee, thine iniquities they have not taught,
Which might disturn thy bondage: but for thee
False burdens and false causes they would see.
15 The passengers do clap their hands and hiss
And wag their head at thee and say: Is this
That city, which so many men did call
Joy of the earth and perfectest of all?
16 Thy foes do gape upon thee, and they hiss
[150] And gnash their teeth and say: Devour we this,
For this is certainly the day which we
Expected, and which now we find and see.
17 The Lord hath done that which He purposed,
Fulfilled His word of old determined.
He hath thrown down and not spared, and thy foe
Made glad above thee and advanced him so.
18 But now, their hearts against the Lord do call,
Therefore, O walls of Zion, let tears fall
Down like a river, day and night. Take thee
[160] No rest, but let thine eye incessant be.
19 Arise, cry in the night, pour for thy sins,
Thy heart, like water, when the watch begins.
Lift up thy hands to God, lest children die,
Which faint for hunger, in the streets do lie.
20 Behold, O Lord, consider unto whom
Thou hast done this; what, shall the women come
To eat their children of a span? Shall Thy
Prophet and priest be slain in sanctuary?
21 On ground in streets, the young and old do lie,
[170] My virgins and young men by sword do die;
Them in the day of Thy wrath Thou hast slain,
Nothing did Thee from killing them contain.
22 As to a solemn feast, all whom I feared
Thou call’st about me; when His wrath appeared,
None did remain or ’scape, for those which I
Brought up did perish by mine enemy.
CHAP. III.
1 I am the man which have affliction seen,
Under the rod of God’s wrath having been,
2 He hath led me to darkness, not to light,
[180] 3 And against me all day, His hand doth fight.
4 He hath broke my bones, worn out my flesh and skin,
5 Built up against me; and hath girt me in
With hemlock and with labour; 6 and set me
In dark, as they who dead for ever be.
7 He hath hedged me lest I ’scape, and added more
To my steel fetters, heavier than before,
8 When I cry out, He out shuts my prayer, 9 And hath
Stopped with hewn stone my way, and turned my path.
10 And like a lion hid in secrecy,
[190] Or bear which lies in wait, He was to me,
11 He stops my way, tears me, made desolate,
12 And He makes me the mark He shooteth at.
13 He made the children of His quiver pass
Into my reins. 14 I with my people, was
All the day long a song and mockery.
15 He hath filled me with bitterness, and He
Hath made me drunk with wormwood. 16 He hath burst
My teeth with stones, and covered me with dust.
17 And thus my soul far off from peace was set,
[200] And my prosperity I did forget.
18 My strength, my hope (unto myself I said)
Which from the Lord should come, is perished.
19 But when my mournings I do think upon,
My wormwood, hemlock, and affliction,
20 My soul is humbled in remem’bring this.
21 My heart considers, therefore, hope there is.
22 ’Tis God’s great mercy we’are not utterly
Consumed, for His compassions do not die;
23 For every morning they renewed be,
[210] For great, O Lord, is Thy fidelity.
24 The Lord is, saith my soul, my portion,
And therefore in Him will I hope alone.
25 The Lord is good to them who on Him rely,
And to the soul that seeks Him earnestly.
26 It is both good to trust, and to attend
(The Lord’s salvation) unto the end.
27 ’Tis good for one his yoke in youth to bear;
28 He sits alone, and doth all speech forbear,
Because he hath borne it. 29 And his mouth he lays
[220] Deep in the dust, yet then in hope he stays.
30 He gives his cheeks to whosoever will
Strike him, and so he is reproached still.
31 For not forever doth the Lord forsake,
32 But when He’hath struck with sadness, He doth take
Compassion, as His mercy’is infinite;
33 Nor is it with His heart, that He doth smite,
34 That underfoot the prisoners stamped be,
35 That a man’s right the judge himself doth see
To be wrung from him. 36 That he subverted is
[230] In his just cause; the Lord allows not this.
37 Who then will say, that aught doth
come to pass,
But that which by the Lord commanded was?
38 Both good and evil from his mouth proceeds.
39 Why then grieves any man for his misdeeds?
40 Turn we to God, by trying out our ways;
41 To Him in heaven, our hands with hearts upraise.
42 We have rebelled and fallen away from Thee,
Thou pardon’st not. 43 Usest no clemency;
Pursuest us, kill’st us, coverest us with wrath,
[240] 44 Cover’st Thyself with clouds, that our prayer hath
No power to pass. 45 And Thou hast made us fall
As refuse, and off-scouring to them all.
46 All our foes gape at us. 47 Fear and a snare
With ruin, and with waste, upon us are.
48 With water-rivers doth mine eye o’erflow
For ruin of my people’s daughters so;
49 Mine eye doth drop down tears incessantly,
50 Until the Lord look down from heaven to see.
51 And for my city daughters’ sake, mine eye
[250] Doth break mine heart. 52 Causeless mine enemy,
Like a bird chased me. 53 In a dungeon
They have shut my life, and cast me on a stone.
54 Waters flowed o’er my head, then thought I, I am
Destroyed. 55 I called, Lord, upon Thy name
Out of the pit. 56 And Thou my voice did’st hear;
O, from my sigh and cry, stop not Thine ear.
57 Then when I called upon Thee, Thou drew’st near
Unto me, and said’st unto me, Do not fear.
58 Thou, Lord, my soul’s cause handled hast, and Thou
[260] Rescu’est my life. 59 O Lord, do Thou judge now,
Thou heard’st my wrong. 60 Their vengeance all they have wrought;
61 How they reproached, Thou hast heard, and what they thought,
62 What their lips uttered, which against me rose,
And what was ever whispered by my foes.
63 I am their song, whether they rise or sit,
64 Give them rewards, Lord, for their working fit
65 Sorrow of heart, Thy curse. 66 And with Thy might
Follow, and from under heaven destroy them quite.
CHAP. IV.
1 How is the gold become so dim? How is
[270] Purest and finest gold thus changed to this?
The stones, which were stones of the sanctuary,
Scattered in corners of each street do lie.
2 The precious sons of Zion, which should be
Valued at purest gold, how do we see
Low rated now, as earthen pitchers, stand,
Which are the work of a poor potter’s hand.
3 Even the sea-calves draw their breasts and give
Suck to their young; my people’s daughters live