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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PSALM 69, by                    
First Line: Save me o god, o save my drowning soul
Last Line: No other seate may need.
Subject(s): Pain; Suffering; Misery


Save me O God, O save my drowning Soul
For fast I stick in depth of muddy hole
Where I no footing find
Now, now, into the watry gulfs I fall
And with the streame I go
Hoarse is my throat so long I cry and call
So long look for my God, that dymm nay blind
Mine eyes with looking grow.

Who hate to me and causeless hate do beare
Are more than that to every one one haire
I from my head can give
Who with no juster cause seek my decay
More mighty are than I
So what I never took I must repay
But God my Follys in Thy knowledg live
Thou dost my faults descry.

O mighty Lord, let not discount'nanct be
By my occasion such as trust in Thee
Let never blushing shame
O God of Isrell flowing from my fall
Thy Servants faces staine
For what I beare, for Thee I beare it all
Thy cause it is I this disgracefull blame
And noted blot susteine.

My Brethren me did for a stranger hold
My mothers children so did me behold
As one they did not know
Zeale of Thy house my Soule did eate and burn
What shame on Thee was layd
Transferrd on me to my reproach did turn
I wept, I fasted, yet for doing so
How did they me upbraid?

Changing my weeds in sackcloth sad I mournd
My Sackcloth these to jeasts and jybings turnd
And both in public place
Of me did prate, and private in their wyne
On me did ryme and sing
But I when Thou the season dost assigne
To Thee will pray, Lord let Thy saving grace
Not faile me help to bring!

Lift me out of this mire; let me not sink
In pudled poole, from such whose thoughts can think
But hatred to my Soul
And from this bottomless, and banckless deep
O save, and set me free
Keep, that these streames o'rewhelm me not, O keep
This gulf engulf me not, this gapeing hole
Shut not her mouth on me

Answer me Lord in that sweet grace of thyne
And in Thy mercys numberless encline
To me Thy aiding eye
Ne from Thy Servant hide Thy helpfull face
For ev'ils me streightly close
O haste, O heare, O come, and come apace
Unto my Soul, O free it presently
Redeeme it from my foes.

My shame, my ignominious disgrace
To Thee is known, and still before Thy face
Are all that beare me spight
Which so did rack so rent my tender heart
That languishing I pin'd
I lookt from Somebody for some kind part
That some would stirr, but all were frozen quite
No comfort could I find.

Comfort? Nay more to aggravate my Woe
They gave me gall, when I did hungry grow
And vinacre for drink
Lord make their tables to themselves a snare
Their happyness a nett
Make that their eyes in only darkness stare
And when they go with weakness make them sink
Such weights upon them sit.

Thy never ceasing indignations shower
Show'r down on them, and in whole rivers poure
Let Fury of Thyne Ire
On evry side of them lay griping hold:
Their house be desert ground
Quite desolate their tents, for they are bold
To plague, whom thou but strik'st, and still aspire
Thy wounded more to wound.

Add still more cyphers to their sinfull summ
But to Thy justice let them never come
And from the blessed book
The book of life, that Godly men contains
Let them clean rased be
But I poore destitute, whose heart sustains
The heavy weight of wo to Thee will look
Thou God shalt Succour me

Then shall O God my Song extoll Thy name
My thankfull prayses magnify Thy Fame
When Thou shalt dearer hold
Than any Sacrifice, which horned head
Or hoofed foot doth beare
The Godly grieved ones, who seeking tread
The Paths of God, when they my change behold
Their hearts to joy shall reare.

For God doth hearken to the poore mans cryes
And never dos the Prisners plaint despise
Praise him you circling Spheres
Thou steadfast earth, Thou Sea, and what in thee
Doth either swim or saile
For Sion shall his safe protection see
And every towre his loved Juda beares
To build he shall not faile

He shall not faile to build up evry place
And builded bring in habitable case
That such as do him serve
Not only may therin themselves reside
But their succeding seed
Heires to their heritage may still abide
And all, whose loves of his name well deserve
No other seate may need.





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