Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MY LITTLE SAINT, by JOHN NORRIS


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MY LITTLE SAINT, by                    
First Line: I care not, though it be
Last Line: Live happy, and be mindful of me there.
Subject(s): Love


I CARE not, though it be
By the preciser sort thought popery;
We poets can a license show
For everything we do.
Hear, then, my little saint! I 'll pray to thee.

If now thy happy mind,
Amidst its various joys, can leisure find
To attend to anything so low
As what I say or do,
Regard, and be—what thou wast ever—kind.

Let not the blest above
Engross thee quite, but sometimes hither rove:
Fain would I thy sweet image see,
And sit and talk with thee;
Nor is it curiosity, but love.

Ah! what delight 't would be,
Wouldst thou sometimes by stealth converse with me!
How should I thy sweet commune prize,
And other joys despise!
Come, then! I ne'er was yet denied by thee.

I would not long detain
Thy soul from bliss, nor keep thee here in pain;
Nor should thy fellow-saints e'er know
Of thy escape below:
Before thou 'rt missed, thou shouldst return again.

Sure, heaven must needs thy love,
As well as other qualities, improve:
Come, then! and recreate my sight
With rays of thy pure light;
'T will cheer my eyes more than the lamps above.

But if Fate 's so severe
As to confine thee to thy blissful sphere
(And by thy absence I shall know
Whether thy state be so),
Live happy, and be mindful of me there.





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