Classic and Contemporary Poetry
PSALM 10. UT QUID DOMINE, by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE First Line: Why standest thou so far Last Line: Of earthly man, a lord of dust. | ||||||||
Why standest Thou so far, O God, our only star, In time most fit for Thee To help who vexed be? For, lo, with pride the wicked man Still plagues the poor the most he can. O let proud him be throughly caught In craft of his own crafty thought! For he himself doth praise When he his lust doth ease Extolling ravenous gain, But doth God's self disdain. Nay so proud is his puffed thought That after God he never sought, But rather much he fancies this That name of God a fable is. For while his ways do prove On them he sets his love, Thy judgments are too high He cannot them espy, Therefore he doth defy all those That dare themselves to him oppose, And sayeth in his bragging heart, This gotten bliss shall never part, Nor he removed be Nor danger ever see; Yet from his mouth doth spring Cursing and cosening; Under his tongue do harbored lie Both mischief and iniquity. For proof oft lain in wait he is In secret byway villages. In such a place unknown To slay the hurtless one, With winking eyes aye bent Against the innocent, Like lurking lion in his den, He waits to spoil the simple men. Whom to their loss he still doth get When he once draw'th his wily net. O with how simple look He oft layeth out his hook, And with how humble shows To trap poor souls he goes! Thus freely saith he in his sprite; God sleeps, or hath forgotten quite; His far off sight now hoodwinked is, He leisure wants to mark all this. Then rise and come abroad, O Lord, our only God, Lift up Thy heavenly hand And by the silly stand. Why should the evil, so evil, despise The power of Thy through-seeing eyes? And why should he in heart so hard Say, Thou dost not Thine own regard? But naked before Thine eyes All wrong and mischief lies, For of them in Thy hands The balance ev'nly stands; But who aright poor-minded be Commit their cause, themselves, to Thee, The succor of the succorless And father of the fatherless. Break Thou the wicked arm Whose fury bends to harm; Search them, and wicked he Will straightway nothing be. So Lord, we shall Thy title sing Ever and ever to be king, Who hast the heath'ny folk destroyed From out Thy land by them annoyed. Thou openest heavenly door To prayers of the poor. Thou first prepared their mind Then ear to them inclined. O be Thou still the orphan's aid That poor from ruin may be stayed, Lest we should ever fear the lust Of earthly man, a lord of dust. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...PSALM 121 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE PSALM 136 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE PSALM 139 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE PSALM 8. MAN'S PLACE IN CREATION by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE DEBORAH: THE SONG OF DEBORAH by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE ECCLESIASTES by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE ECCLESIASTES: THE LIGHT IS SWEET by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE ELIJAH AND THE PRIESTS OF BAAL: IN A TIME OF FAMINE by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE EXODUS 15. SONG OF ISRAEL FOR THE OVERTHROW OF EGYPT IN THE RED SEA by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE |
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