Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE SAP, by HENRY VAUGHAN



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE SAP, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Come sapless blossom, creep not still on earth
Last Line: Brings to, and comes from heaven.
Alternate Author Name(s): Silurist


Come sapless blossom, creep not still on Earth
Forgetting thy first birth;
'Tis not from dust, or if so, why dost thou
Thus call and thirst for dew?
It tends not thither, if it doth, why then
This growth and stretch for heav'n?
Thy root sucks but diseases, worms there seat
And claim it for their meat.
Who placed thee here, did something then infuse
Which now can tell thee news.
There is beyond the stars an hill of myrrh
From which some drops fall here,
On it the Prince of Salem sits, who deals
To thee thy secret meals,
There is thy country, and he is the way
And hath withal the key.
Yet lived he here sometimes, and bore for thee
A world of misery,
For thee, who in the first man's loins didst fall
From that hill to this vale,
And had not he so done, it is most true
Two deaths had been thy due;
But going hence, and knowing well what woes
Might his friends discompose,
To show what strange love he had to our good
He gave his sacred blood
By will our sap and cordial; now in this
Lies such a heav'n of bliss,
That, who but truly tastes it, no decay
Can touch him any way,
Such secret life and virtue in it lies
It will exalt and rise
And actuate such spirits as are shed
Or ready to be dead,
And bring new too. Get then this sap, and get
Good store of it, but let
The vessel where you put it be for sure
To all your pow'r most pure;
There is at all times (though shut up) in you
A powerful, rare dew,
Which only grief and love extract; with this
Be sure, and never miss,
To wash your vessel well: then humbly take
This balm for souls that ache,
And one who drank it thus, assures that you
Shall find a joy so true,
Such perfect ease, and such a lively sense
Of grace against all sins,
That you'll confess the comfort such, as even
Brings to, and comes from Heaven.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net