Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, OFFICE OF THE HOLY CROSSE; 2ND VERSION, by RICHARD CRASHAW


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

OFFICE OF THE HOLY CROSSE; 2ND VERSION, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: The wakefull matines hast to sing
Last Line: My dying life may draw a new, and never fleeting breath.
Variant Title(s): The Hymn: The Howres For The Hour Of Matines


The wakefull Matines hast to sing
The unknown sorrows of our king,
The FATHER'S word and wisdom, made
MAN, for man, by man's betraid;
The world's price sett to sale, and by the bold
Merchants of Death and sin, is bought and sold.
Of his Best Friends (yea of himself) forsaken,
By his worst foes (because he would) beseig'd and taken.

The Antiphona.

All hail, fair TREE
Whose Fruit we be.
What song shall raise
Thy seemly praise.
Who broughtst to light
Life out of death, Day out of night.

The Versicle.

Lo, we adore thee,
Dread LAMB! And bow thus low before thee,

The Responsor.

'Cause, by the covenant of thy CROSSE,
Thou'hast sav'd at once the whole world's losse.

FOR THE HOUR OF
PRIME.

The Versicle.

Lord by thy sweet and saving SIGN.

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and thine.
V. Thou shalt open.
R. And my mouth.
V. O GOD make speed.
R. O LORD make hast.
Glory be to.
As it was in.

The early PRIME blushes to say
She could not rise so soon, as they
Call'd Pilat up; to try if He
Could lend them any cruelty.
Their hands with lashes arm'd, their toungs with lyes,
And loathsom spittle, blott those beauteous eyes,
The blissful springs of joy; from whose all-chearing Ray
The fair starrs fill their wakefull fires the sun
himselfe drinks Day.

The Antiphona.
Victorious SIGN
That now dost shine,
Transcrib'd above
Into the land of light and love;
O let us twine
Our rootes with thine,
That we may rise
Upon thy wings, and reach the skyes.

The Versicle.
Lo we adore thee
Dread LAMB! and fall
Thus low before thee

The Responsor.
'Cause by the Convenant of thy CROSSE
Thou'hast sav'd at once the whole world's losse.

The Prayer.
O Lord JESU-CHRIST son of the living GOD! interpose,
I pray thee, thine own pretious death, thy CROSSE and
Passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the
hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt unto me thy
grace and mercy; unto all quick and dead, remission and rest; to
thy church peace and concord; to us sinners life and glory
everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the FATHER, in the
unity of the HOLY GHOST, one GOD, world without end.
Amen.

THE THIRD.

The Versicle.
Lord, by thy sweet and saving SIGN

The Responsor.
Defend us from our foes and thine.
V. Thou shalt open.
R. And my mouth.
V. O GOD make speed.
R. O LORD make hast.
V. Glory be to.
R. As it was in the.

THE HYMN

The Third hour's deafen'd with the cry
Of crucify him, crucify.
So goes the vote (nor ask them, Why?)
Live Barabbas! and let GOD dy.
But there is witt in wrath, and they will try
A HAIL more cruell then their crucify.
For while in sport he weares a spitefull crown,
The serious showres along his decent
Face run sadly down.

The Antiphona.

CHRIST when he dy'd
Deceived the CROSSE;
And on death's side
Threw all the losse.
The captive world awak't, and found
The prisoners loose, the Jaylor bound.

The Versicle.

Lo we adore thee
Dread LAMB, and fall
thus low before thee

The Responsor.

'Cause by the convenant of thy CROSSE
Thou'hast sav'd at once the whole world's losse.

The Prayer.

O Lord JESU-CHRIST, son of the living GOD! interpose,
I pray thee, thine own pretious death, thy CROSSE
and Passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the
hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt unto me thy
grace and mercy; unto all quick and dead, remission and rest;
to thy church peace and concord; to us sinners life and glory
everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the FATHER, in the
unity of the HOLY GHOST, one GOD, world without end.
Amen.

THE SIXT.

The Versicle.

Lord by thy sweet and saving SIGN,

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and thine.
V. Thou shalt open.
R. And my mouth.
V. O GOD make speed.
R. O LORD make hast.
V. Glory be
R. As it was in

THE HIMN.

Now is The noon of sorrow's night;
High in his patience, as their spite,
Lo the faint LAMB, with weary limb
Beares that huge tree which must bear Him.
That fatall plant, so great of fame
For fruit of sorrow and of shame,
Shall swell with both for HIM; and mix
All woes into one CRUCIFIX.
Is tortur'd Thirst, it selfe, too sweet a cup?
GALL, and more bitter mocks, shall make it up.
Are NAILES blunt pens of superficiall smart?
Contempt and scorn can send sure wounds to search the inmost Heart.

The Antiphona.

O deare and sweet Dispute
'Twixt death's and Love's farr different FRUIT!
Different as farr
As antidotes and poysons are.
By that first fatall TREE
Both life and liberty
Were sold and slain;
By this they both look up, and live again.

The Versicle.

Lo we adore thee
Dread LAMB! and bow thus low before thee;

The Responsor.

'Cause by the convenant of thy CROSSE.
Thou'hast sav'd the world from certain losse.

The Prayer.

O Lord JESU-CHRIST, son of the living GOD! interpose,
I pray thee, thine own pretious death, thy CROSSE and
Passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the
hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt unto me thy
grace and mercy; unto all quick and dead, remission and rest; to
thy church peace and concord; to us sinners life and glory
everlasting. Who
livest and reignest with the FATHER, in the
unity of the HOLY GHOST, one GOD, world without end.
Amen.

THE NINTH.

The Versicle.

Lord by thy sweet and saving SIGN.

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and thine.
V. Thou shalt open.
R. And my mouth.
V. O GOD make speed.
R. O LORD make hast.
Glory be to.
As it was in.

THE HYMN.

The ninth with awfull horror hearkened to those groanes
Which taught attention ev'n to rocks and stones.
Hear, FATHER, hear! thy LAMB (at last) complaines.
Of some more painfull thing then all his paines.
Then bowes his all-obedient head, and dyes
His own love's, and our sin's GREAT SACRIFICE.
The sun saw That; And would have seen no more;
The center shook. Her uselesse veil th'inglorious Temple tore.

The Antiphona.

O strange mysterious strife
Of open DEATH and hidden LIFE!
When on the crosse my king did bleed,
LIFE seem'd to dy, DEATH dy'd indeed.

The Versicle.

Lo we adore thee
Dread LAMB! and fall
thus low before thee

The Responsor.

'Cause by the convenant of thy CROSSE
Thou'hast sav'd at once the whole world's losse.

The Prayer.

O Lord JESU-CHRIST, son of the living GOD! interpose,
I pray thee, thine own pretious death, thy CROSSE
and Passion, betwixt my soul and thy judgment, now and in the
hour of my death. And vouchsafe to graunt unto me thy
grace and mercy; unto all quick and dead, remission and rest;
to thy church peace and concord; to us sinners life and glory
everlasting. Who livest and reignest with the FATHER, in
the unity of the HOLY GHOST, one GOD, world without end.
Amen.

EVENSONG.

The Versicle.

Lord, by thy sweet and saving SIGN

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and thine.
V. Thou shalt open.
R. And my mouth.
V. O GOD make speed.
R. O LORD make hast.
V. Glory be to.
R. As it was in the.

THE HYMN.

But there were Rocks would not relent at This.
Lo, for their own hearts, they rend his.
Their deadly hate lives still; and hath
A wild reserve of wanton wrath;
Superfluous SPEAR! But there's a HEART stands by
Will look no wounds be lost, no deaths shall dy.
Gather now thy Greif's ripe FRUIT. Great mother-maid!
Then sitt thee down, and sing thine Ev'nsong in the sad TREE'S shade.

The Antiphona.

O sad, sweet TREE!
Wofull and joyfull we
Both weep and sing in shade of thee.
When the dear NAILES did lock
And graft into thy gracious Stock
The hope; the health,
The worth, the wealth
Of all the ransom'd WORLD, thou hadst the power
(In that propitious Hour)
To poise each pretious limb,
And prove how light the World was, when it weighd with HIM.
Wide maist thou spred
Thine Armes; And with thy bright and blisfull head
O'relook all Libanus. Thy lofty crown
The king himself is; Thou his humble THRONE.
Where yeilding and yet conquering he
Prov'd a new path of patient Victory.
When wondring death by death was slain,
And our Captivity his Captive ta'ne.

The Versicle.

Lo we adore thee
Dread LAMB! and bow thus low before thee;

The Responsor.

'Cause by the convenant of thy CROSSE.
Thou'hast sav'd the world from certain losse.

The Prayer.

O lord JESU-CHRIST, son of the living, &c.

COMPLINE

The Versicle.

Lord by thy sweet and saving SIGN,

The Responsor.

Defend us from our foes and thine.
V. Thou shalt open.
R. And my mouth.
V. O GOD make speed.
R. O LORD make hast.
V. Glory be
R. As it was in

THE HIMN.

The Complin hour comes last, to call
Us to our own LIVE'S funerall.
Ah hartlesse task! yet hope takes head;
And lives in Him that here lyes dead.
Run, MARY, run! Bring hither all the BLEST
ARABIA, for thy Royall Phoenix' nest;
Pour on thy noblest sweets, Which, when they touch
This sweeter BODY, shall indeed be such.
But must thy bed, lord, be a borrow'd grave
Who lend'st to all things All the LIFE they have?
O rather use this HEART, thus farr a fitter STONE,
'Cause, though a hard and cold one, yet it is thine owne. Amen.

The Antiphona.

O save us then
Mercyfull KING of men!
Since thou wouldst needs be thus
A SAVIOUR, and at such a rate, for us;
Save us, o save us, lord.
We now will own no shorter wish, nor name a narrower word.
Thy blood bids us be bold.
Thy Wounds give us fair hold.
Thy Sorrows chide our shame.
Thy Crosse, thy Nature, and thy name
Advance our claim
And cry with one accord
Save them, o save them, lord.

THE RECOMMENDATION.

These Houres, and that which hover's o're my END,
Into thy hands, and hart, lord, I commend.

Take Both to Thine Account, that I and mine
In that Hour, and in these, may be all thine.

That as I dedicate my devoutest BREATH
To make a kind of LIFE for my lord's DEATH,

So from his living, and life-giving DEATH,
My dying LIFE may draw a new, and never fleeting BREATH.






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