Classic and Contemporary Poetry
PRAISE (3), by GEORGE HERBERT Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Lord, I will mean and speak thy praise Last Line: Both all my praise, and more! Subject(s): Worship | ||||||||
LORD, I will mean and speak thy praise, Thy praise alone. My busie heart shall spin it all my dayes; And when it stops for want of store, Then will I wring it with a sigh or grone, That thou mayst yet have more. When thou dost favour any action, It runnes, it flies; All things concurre to give it a perfection. That which had but two legs before, When thou dost blesse, hath twelve: one wheel doth To twentie then, or more. [rise But, when thou dost on businesse blow, It hangs, it clogs: Not all the teams of Albion in a row Can hale or draw it out of doore. Legs are but stumps, and Pharaohs wheels but logs, And struggling hinders more. Thousands of things do thee employ In ruling all This spacious globe: Angels must have their joy, Devils their rod, the sea his shore, The windes their stint; and yet, when I did call, Thou heardst my call, and more. I have not lost one single tear: But when mine eyes Did weep to heav'n, they found a bottle there, (As we have boxes for the poore,) Readie to take them in; yet of a size That would contain much more. But after thou hadst slipt a drop From thy right eye, (Which there did hang like streamers neare the top Of some fair church to show the sore And bloudie battell which thou once didst trie,) The glasse was full and more. Wherefore I sing. Yet, since my heart, Though press'd, runnes thin; O that I might some other hearts convert, And so take up at use good store; That to thy chests there might be coming in Both all my praise, and more! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...COMPANIONSHIP by MALTBIE DAVENPORT BABCOCK FOR I WILL CONSIDER YOUR DOG MOLLY by DAVID LEHMAN RUSSIAN CATHEDRAL by CLAUDE MCKAY LITTLE WHITE CHURCH by MARILYN NELSON A STEEPLE ON THE HOUSE by ROBERT FROST MATE (1) by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON ANSWER TO PRAYER by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS by GEORGE SANTAYANA A DIALOGUE ANTHEM by GEORGE HERBERT |
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