Classic and Contemporary Poetry
COCK-CROWING, by HENRY VAUGHAN Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Father of lights! What sunny seed Last Line: Though with no lily, stay with me! Alternate Author Name(s): Silurist Subject(s): Roosters; Cocks | ||||||||
Father of lights! what sunny seed, What glance of day hast thou confined Into this bird? To all the breed This busy ray thou hast assigned; Their magnetism works all night, And dreams of paradise and light. Their eyes watch for the morning hue, Their little grain expelling night So shines and sings, as if it knew The path unto the house of light. It seems their candle, howe'er done, Was tinned and lighted at the sun. If such a tincture, such a touch, So firm a longing can impower, Shall thy own image think it much To watch for thy appearing hour? If a mere blast so fill the sail, Shall not the breath of God prevail? O thou immortal light and heat! Whose hand so shines through all this frame, That by the beauty of the seat, We plainly see who made the same. Seeing thy seed abides in me, Dwell thou in it, and I in thee. To sleep without thee is to die; Yea, 'tis a death partakes of hell: For where thou dost not close the eye, It never opens, I can tell. In such a dark, Egyptian border, The shades of death dwell and disorder. If joys, and hopes, and earnest throes, And hearts whose pulse beats still for light Are given to birds, who but thee knows A love-sick soul's exalted flight? Can souls be tracked by any eye But his, who gave them wings to fly? Only this veil which thou hast broke, And must be broken yet in me, This veil, I say, is all the cloak And cloud which shadows thee from me. This veil thy full-eyed love denies, And only gleams and fractions spies. O take it off! make no delay, But brush me with thy light that I May shine unto a perfect day, And warm me at thy glorious eye! O take it off! or till it flee, Though with no lily, stay with me! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON A COCK AT ROCHESTER by CHARLES SEDLEY THE HEATH-COCK by JOANNA BAILLIE TWO VIEWS OF IT by CHRISTOPHER PEARSE CRANCH CHICK-A-ROOSTER by HENRY CROCKER THE COCK by HORTENSE KING FLEXNER ROOSTER; TO PAT RYAN by JAMES HARRISON THE COCK AND THE FOX by JEAN DE LA FONTAINE |
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