Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PREPARATORY MEDITATIONS, 2D SERIES: 106, by EDWARD TAYLOR


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PREPARATORY MEDITATIONS, 2D SERIES: 106, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: I fain would prize, and praise thee, lord, but finde
Last Line: That makes thy praises leape up from my heart.
Subject(s): Puritans In Literature


I fain would Prize, and Praise thee, Lord, but finde
My Prizing Faculty imprison'd lyes.
That its Appreciation is confinde
Within its prison walls and small doth rise.
Its Prizing Act it would mount up so high
That might oremount its possibility.

I fain would praise thee, but want words to do't:
And searching ore the realm of thoughts finde none
Significant enough and therefore vote
For a new set of Words and thoughts hereon
And leap beyond the line such words to gain
In other Realms, to praise thee: but in vain.

Me pitty, parden mee and Lord accept
My Penny Prize, and penny worth of Praise.
Words and their Sense within thy bounds are kept
And richer Fruits my Vintage cannot raise.
I can no better bring, do what I can:
Accept thereof and make me better man.

With Consecrated Bread and Wine indeed
Of Zions Floore, and Wine press me sustain.
These fruits thy Boddy, and thy blood doth breed
Thy Pay and Purchase for mee mee to gain.
Lord make thy Vitall Principall in mee
In Gospellwise to eate and drink on thee.

These acts of mine that from thy Vitall Spark
In mee being to thyself, my Lord, my Deare,
As formative in touching thee their marke
Of this thy Sacrament, my Spirituall Cheere.
Life first doth Act and Faith that's lifes First-born
Receiving gives the Sacramentall form.

Hence its as needfull as the forme unto
This Choice formation Hypocrites beg on.
Elfes Vizzarded, and Lambskinde Woolves hence goe.
Your Counterfeted Coine is worse than none.
Your gilding though it may the Schoole beguile
The Court will Cast and all your gilt off file.

Morality is here no market ware,
Although it in the Outward Court is free.
A State of Sin this Banquet cannot beare.
Old and New Cov'nant Guests here don't agree.
The Wedden Robe is Welcome, but the back
This Supper cloaths not with, that doth it lack.

Food is for living Limbs, not Wooden legs:
Life's necessary, unto nourishment.
Dead limbs must be cut off: the Addle Eggs
Rot by the heat the dam upon them spent.
A State of Sin that takes this bread and Wine
From the Signatum tareth off the Signe.

A Principle of life, to eate implies,
And of such life that sutes the Foods desire.
Food naturall doth naturall Life supply.
And spirituall food doth spirituall life require.
The Dead don't eate. Though Folly childish dotes
In th'Child that gives his Hobby horses oates.

To Eat's an Act of life that life out sent
Employing Food. Life's property alive
Yet acts uniting with foods nourishment
Which spreads o're nature quite to make it thrive.
Life Naturall and Spirituall Life renewd
Precedes their Acts, their Acts precede their food.

Then form mee Lord, a former here to bee
Of this thy Sacrament receiving here
And let me in this Bread and Wine take thee:
And entertain me with thy Spirituall Cheer.
Which well Concocted will make joy up start,
That makes thy praises leape up from my heart.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net