Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE DIRGE OF JEPHTHAH'S DAUGHTER; SUNG BY THE VIRGINS, by ROBERT HERRICK Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: O thou, the wonder of all days [dayes]! Last Line: And leave thee sleeping in thy urn. | ||||||||
1. O thou, the wonder of all dayes! O Paragon, and Pearle of praise! O Virgin-martyr, ever blest Above the rest Of all the Maiden-Traine! We come, And bring fresh strewings to thy Tombe. 2. Thus, thus, and thus we compasse round Thy harmlesse and unhaunted Ground; And as we sing thy Dirge, we will The Daffadill, And other flowers, lay upon (The Altar of our love) thy Stone. 3. Thou wonder of all Maids, li'st here, Of Daughters all, the Deerest Deere; The eye of Virgins; nay, the Queen Of this smooth Green, And all sweet Meades; from whence we get The Primrose, and the Violet. 4. Too soon, too deere did Jephthah buy, By thy sad losse, our liberty: His was the Bond and Cov'nant, yet Thou paid'st the debt, Lamented Maid! he won the day, But for the conquest thou didst pay. 5. Thy Father brought with him along The Olive branch, and Victors Song: He slew the Ammonites, we know, But to thy woe; And in the purchase of our Peace, The Cure was worse then the Disease. 6. For which obedient zeale of thine, We offer here, before thy Shrine, Our sighs for Storax, teares for Wine; And to make fine, And fresh thy Herse-cloth, we will, here, Foure times bestrew thee ev'ry yeere. 7. Receive, for this thy praise, our teares: Receive this offering of our Haires: Receive these Christall Vialls fil'd With teares, distil'd From teeming eyes; to these we bring, Each Maid, her silver Filleting, 8. To guild thy Tombe; besides, these Caules, These Laces, Ribbands, and these Faules, These Veiles, wherewith we use to hide The Bashfull Bride, When we conduct her to her Groome: All, all we lay upon thy Tombe. 9. No more, no more, since thou art dead, Shall we ere bring coy Brides to bed; No more, at yeerly Festivalls We Cowslip balls, Or chaines of Columbines shall make, For this, or that occasions sake. 10. No, no; our Maiden-pleasures be Wrapt in the winding-sheet, with thee: 'Tis we are dead, though not i' th grave: Or, if we have One seed of life left, 'tis to keep A Lent for thee, to fast and weep. 11. Sleep in thy peace, thy bed of Spice; And make this place all Paradise: May Sweets grow here! & smoke from hence, Fat Frankincense: Let Balme, and Cassia send their scent From out thy Maiden-Monument. 12. May no Wolfe howle, or Screech-Owle stir A wing about thy Sepulcher! No boysterous winds, or stormes, come hither, To starve, or wither Thy soft sweet Earth! but (like a spring) Love keep it ever flourishing. 13. May all shie Maids, at wonted hours, Come forth, to strew thy Tombe with flow'rs: May Virgins, when they come to mourn, Male-Incense burn Upon thine Altar! then return, And leave thee sleeping in thy Urn. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A MEDITATION FOR HIS MISTRESS by ROBERT HERRICK A TERNARIE OF LITTLES, UPON A PIPKIN OF JELLIE by ROBERT HERRICK A THANKSGIVING TO GOD [FOR HIS HOUSE] by ROBERT HERRICK ANOTHER GRACE FOR A CHILD by ROBERT HERRICK ART ABOVE NATURE: TO JULIA by ROBERT HERRICK CEREMONIES FOR CANDLEMASSE EVE by ROBERT HERRICK CEREMONIES FOR CHRISTMAS (1) by ROBERT HERRICK CLOTHES DO BUT CHEAT AND COZEN US by ROBERT HERRICK COMFORT [TO A YOUTH THAT HAD LOST HIS LOVE] by ROBERT HERRICK |
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