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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


A BOOK OF AIRS: SONG 5 by THOMAS CAMPION

Poem Explanation Poet Analysis

First Line: VIEW ME, LORD, A WORK OF THINE
Last Line: YET THY GRACE CAN LIFT ME HIGH.
Subject(s): RELIGION; THEOLOGY;

VIEW me, Lord, a work of Thine:
Shall I then lie drowned in night?
Might Thy grace in me but shine,
I should seem made all of light.

But my soul still surfeits so
On the poisoned baits of sin,
That I strange and ugly grow,
All is dark and foul within.

Cleanse me, Lord, that I may kneel
At Thine altar, pure and white:
They that once Thy mercies feel,
Gaze no more on earth's delight.

Worldly joys, like shadows, fade
When the heavenly light appears;
But the covenants Thou hast made,
Endless, know not days nor years.

In Thy Word, Lord, is my trust,
To Thy mercies fast I fly;
Though I am but clay and dust,
Yet Thy grace can lift me high.



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